The Oncoming Storm and the Bad Wolf
by ChocolatyMoonLight
Summary: When Rose becomes pregnant with the Doctor's child, she is kidnapped by a mysterious organization, and  it becomes a race against time to rescue their baby before its too late. AU of a Good Man Goes to War.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story is basically like A Good Man Goes to War, but with several major differences, one of them of course being that it's about the Tenth Doctor and Rose. Also, this takes place in an Alternate Universe. The events of the Army of Ghosts and Doomsday never occurred, and the Doctor still does not know about Torchwood. Also, there is an OC. Just thought you should know.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who would I be writing this story?**

**Warnings: None so far**

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><p>Svelte rays of moonlight flitted through the blinds that covered the window, illuminating the otherwise dark bedroom with an unearthly silver glow. Tiny motes of dust could be seen floating lazily in the light. One of the rays came to rest upon the dark blue face of a man, who lay asleep in the bed. His brown eyebrows were tightened with uncertainty, wrinkles were knotted in his forehead, and he would twitch or turn frequently in his sleep. Something was haunting his sleep, latent feelings of guilt, perhaps. Even a man as apathetic as him couldn't sleep without being tormented by the nauseating cornucopia of emotions that resulted from what he'd done. Some of it was guilt, but even more was fear. Fear for his own life, fear of what would become of him if he was discovered.<p>

Fear of the Oncoming Storm.

He had heard things about that man. He had heard of the things he'd done, the things he'd do. He'd heard he was a good man, but any good man could easily be manipulated by his own feelings into doing bad things. Feelings of guilt, feelings of fear, feelings of anger.

There was a noise, low at first, rising and falling in pitch with a steady rhythm like that of a heartbeat. It would reach it's crescendo, then it would fall back down again, and each crescendo was louder than the last. There were no words to describe the sound; it was completely alien, a totally new sound, yet there was also something ancient and almost alive about it.

The blue man stirred, blinking away webs of sleep from his eyes. He sat up slowly, seeing something materialize in front of the door. It was large, and it appeared then disappeared with the rhythm of the noise. Fear clenched at his oversized belly. He knew what was to become of him.

Finally, the noise stopped, and a large, blue box stood before his bed.

The blue man felt his throat tighten as it just stood there silently, almost as if it were watching him. His blood became cold, his heart began to beat out a choked rhythm, and his muscles became tight.

Finally, the door swung open, yellow light pouring into the room, and out stepped the thin, shadowed figure of a man. Even from behind the shadows the blue man could see the man's face clenched with restrained fury.

"Now you listen to me, and you listen to me well." The man said, his teeth clenched.

The blue man was still, globules of sweat slithering down his face.

"I am not a violent man, but when you hurt the people I love, you are asking for trouble." The man from the box warned in a voice that was almost a growl. "Where is Rose Tyler?"

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><p><strong>Reviews are always appreciated!<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Alright, sorry for the long wait. My keyboard screwed up pretty bad and it just started working again. This chapter's quite short, I apologize for that, but I figured I might as well just post something so that everyone knows I haven't given up already. Also, just a little note, this is an AU version of A Good Man Goes To War.

**Warnings: **Some adult themes

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><p>Danger… Pfft. Rose Tyler and the Doctor laughed in the face of danger. They threw themselves into every dangerous situation they could find. They might as well have the words "Looking for danger" tattooed across their foreheads. If you were to look up the word <em>danger <em>in the dictionary you would find a picture of them in it, holding hands, running, and probably with idiotically joyful grins plastered across their faces. Yep, that was them.

However, today running for her life from a bloodthirsty werewolf didn't exactly seem to be the optimal activity.

Normally Rose didn't really mind danger. Sure, there were the occasional moments when she was so close to death, practically standing on the precipice of eternal unconsciousness with her toes dangling on the edge, that she really, _really _wished she could be somewhere a bit more peaceful. A bit more relaxing and a bit less… Life-threatening.

Right now was one of those times, because there was a possibility that she may be pregnant with the Doctor's child. She hadn't taken a test or anything, but after a period that still hadn't shown up even though it had already been a week since it was supposed to come, spontaneous bouts of nausea, and unusually tender and somewhat swollen breasts, she had come to the conclusion that she was probably pregnant. And if her sudden urge to slap the Doctor earlier when he started making jokes about her being a feral child and calling her "Wee, timorous beastie" counted as mood swings, then she'd add that to the list too. All of these symptoms had shown up a few weeks after she and the Doctor had…. _Fornicated_, to put it nicely.

It had been a spur of the moment kind of thing. One moment they were sitting upon the purple sands of the planet Xinodu, admiring the gorgeous golden sky slowly dim as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, the Doctor waxing poetic about its unearthly beauty, then they were kissing, then there was some more kissing (this kissing involved a lot more tongue), then the next they knew, they were both naked in the TARDIS having some really great sex. Really, _really _great sex, now that she thought about it. Now, a few weeks later, Rose had to run for her life from a werewolf while possibly carrying a half-human half-Time Lord fetus in her womb.

"Rose, run!" The Doctor shouted at the top of his lungs, but for some reason she didn't listen.

The simmering concoction of fear and awe that resulted from standing in the path of a bloodthirsty creature seemed to produce a sort of paralysis. An intoxicating sensation, really. Kind of like that moment where you're standing at the edge of a cliff, and for some reason deep in the back of your mind you suddenly get the inexplicable urge to jump. It's like time stops around and suddenly you begin to fully realize the weight of the situation. _I'm a few feet away from being ripped to shreds by a savage werewolf. _Interesting. _I might be knocked up with an alien baby. _Fascinating. _I've met Queen Victoria, and from the looks of it she doesn't seem to like me. _Truly amazing.

The next thing she knew, the Doctor's arm was snaked around her waist, and he was pulling her away, then he pushed her into the library and ran in after her, the werewolf hot on his heels. The doors were slammed shut. The Doctor and Sir Robert took different pieces of furniture, chairs and tables, and piled them in front of the door. Instinctively, Rose grabbed the nearest chair and added it to the pile. Suddenly everything seemed a whole lot… Stiller. Tense, nonetheless. There was a certain sense of electricity in the air, a tightness that couldn't be defined. Everyone was holding their breath. No one moved. No one spoke. They were all waiting for the wolf to burst through the doors and slaughter them. Yet oddly enough…. It didn't.

The Doctor ran up to the door, leaning over the pile of furniture, and pressed his ear against it. The creature seemed to pace back and forth, paw at the door, searching for a way in, yet it was like something was blocking it. Rose pressed her hand against her stomach where her possible child was possibly residing, and the action proved to be somewhat comforting. As the footsteps began to grow distant, the whole room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The tenseness was still there, but it was less pronounced.

"It's gone." The Doctor said as the heavy footsteps became less and less audible.

Rose paced slowly. "Listen."

Everyone was looking around the room, waiting for it to burst through the door at any second. But still, nothing came. It was if it had simply given up. They could still here the footsteps outside, slow and calculated, as if it were waiting.

"Is this the only door?" The Doctor whispered to Sir Robert.

"Yes." The man replied, then glanced around no. "No!"

They grabbed more furniture and piled it up in front of the doors on the other side of the room. Growls and thudding footsteps could be heard behind the door, but still it didn't come through. Gradually, the noises began to dim, until they were gone completely.

"I don't understand." Rose said, chest heaving up and down with each shallow breath. "What's stopping it?"

"Something inside this room." The Doctor said, running his hands through his hair. "What is it, why can't it get in?"

Once everyone had calmed down, the Doctor pulled Rose away from the group to speak with her for a second.

"Rose, you alright?" The Doctor asked in a hushed tone, rubbing his eye for a second.

"Y-yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a weak laugh. "Just a bit…. Drowsy, that's all."

She needed to tell him. She really needed to tell him. This could be _his _child after all. His biological child. His half-Time Lord half-human baby. He had a right to know. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Fear clenched at her stomach every time she thought about telling him. What if he didn't want it? What if he made her leave? The TARDIS was certainly no place for a baby. There was all sorts of background radiation and things like that. And their lifestyle certainly wasn't suited for raising a baby either. Not when it consisted of hurling themselves through space and time and stumbling into virtually every dangerous situation possible.

"I think I'm pregnant." She blurted suddenly, the words tumbling out of her mouth haphazardly.

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><p>Reviews are always appreciated!<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Alright, here's the second chapter. I've revised this thing like a thousand times and yet I'm still not too confident in it. Also, school has started again for me, so it's going to take me longer to update. Nonetheless, I'll try my best to post new chapters as quickly as I can.

**Disclaimer: **I own absolutely nothing

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><p>"What?" The Doctor stepped in closer to her.<p>

Rose felt her stomach go numb. "Well, I think I am."

She swallowed a lump in her throat. The look on his face, she tried to discern it, to dissect it and understand it, but she couldn't. His eyebrows were furrowed, the corners of his mouth tight and his lower lip slightly agape, and his dark eyes narrowed. Reading his expression was like reading an alien language without the help of the TARDIS. Was it anger? Shock? Fear? Guilt? Possibly even happiness, perhaps? She couldn't tell.

"What are your symptoms? How-how long have they been going on?" He pressed one hand against a wall and leaned against it.

Rose chose her words carefully. "Well, I'm a week late. And I've been throwing up recently, I'm all drowsy."

"And this all happened after we…" His voice trailed off, alluding to something neither of them really wanted to say out loud.

"Yeah." She said with a nod.

This was the first time they had actually spoken about what had happened between them. It was an awkward subject for them, an elephant in the room. They still weren't sure how to react to it. Mainly it was because they weren't exactly sure of the nature of their relationship. They weren't friends, but they weren't lovers. Their relationship certainly wasn't platonic, but it wasn't romantic either. Therefore, they weren't sure if their sleeping together was a bad thing or a good thing. It hadn't _felt _like a bad thing, that was for sure. But there were still nagging questions. Questions that always had the same answer, "I don't know". Were they ready for that kind of relationship?

"Any other symptoms?" He asked, his voice still low in a tone that was neither dark nor light, but nonetheless serious.

Rose thought for a second, then shook her head. "No. That's it."

"Well, we'll talk about this when we get back on the TARDIS." The Doctor said, and still his expression wasn't discernible.

Trying to lighten the mood, Rose smiled a little. "Tell you what, though."

"What?"

"Werewolf!" She said with a laugh.

"I know!" The Doctor replied, then pulled her into a hug.

It was strange, out of all the men, it was the Doctor, the one with no guns or swords, who she felt safest with. Out of everyone in the castle, she knew if there was one man who could keep her safe, it was the Doctor. The one who refused to carry a gun, who would try everything he could to avoid bloodshed.

"So other than you-know-what, you're alright?" He said, his hands still lingering on her hips even after they pulled away from the hug.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Suddenly Sir Robert spoke up. "It's all my fault." He was slouched on one of the chairs, his elbow resting upon the armrest and his fingers kneading against his temples. "I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong. Thought you might notice."

He paused for a moment.

"Did you not think there was anything strange about my household staff?" Sir Robert said.

The Doctor stepped forward. "They were bald, athletic. Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy."

Sensing an opportunity, Rose tried one last time at that bet. "I'll tell you what though, ma'am, I bet you're not amused now."

"Do you think this funny?" Queen Victoria replied quickly, eyes wide with both terror and fury.

Rose looked away, feeling small and foolish under her judging gaze. "No, ma'am, I'm sorry."

"What exactly, I pray, tell me. someone, please, what exactly is that creature?" She demanded.

Rose opened her mouth briefly, but the Doctor answered before she could speak. "Well, you'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's more of a lupine wavelength Haemovariform." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck, unknowingly forgetting to speak with a Scottish accent.

"And should I trust you sir, you who changes your voice so easily?" Now there was more fear in her voice, a tremble in her words. "What happened to your accent?"

The Doctor's mouth hung agape, and Rose could see him trying to formulate an explanation in his mind. "Oh, um-"

"I will not have it! No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it." The Queen continued. "This is not my world."

Oddly enough, the rest of the night went by in somewhat of a haze. After being chided by the Queen who was more than furious (and still, even then, she did not once say that she was not amused, and Rose was beginning to sense that her pockets would be ten quid lighter by the time they got back to the TARDIS), the Doctor discovered a carving on each door, and then by licking the door, which left Rose both disgusted and slightly aroused, he discovered that the wood was varnished with viscum oil, which the werewolf must've been allergic to. They then tore through the books trying to find information on the creature, and soon they discovered in one book a written account of an object falling from the sky in 1540, near the monastery. The Doctor deduced that a single cell must have survived, growing stronger and stronger with each host. It was then that the queen revealed that she in fact had the Koh-I-Noor with her, and the Doctor quickly realized how to defeat the werewolf. Soon they were running again, but this time they knew where they were going. With the werewolf hot on their heels, they ran to the Observatory. They then used to Koh-I-Noor to magnify the moonlight, which destroyed the werewolf right before it got to the queen. The next day, the queen expressed her gratitude ed to Koh-I-Noor tby dubbing them Sir Doctor of TARDIS and Dame Rose of the Powell Estate.

And then she banished them.

"So, Rose," the Doctor said once they were back in the TARDIS, making his way up to the console, "you said that you thought you were pregnant."

Rose stopped in her tracks, unsure what to say. The combination of defeating a werewolf with a diamond and a telescope, being dubbed Dame Rose by Queen Victoria, and then being banished only a few seconds later had left her breathless and excited, and she had completely forgotten about her possible pregnancy. Suddenly things seemed a whole lot grimmer. She still wasn't sure how the Doctor would react if she did turn out to pregnant. She didn't even know if _she _wanted to be pregnant. It wasn't exactly something she had ever planned on. Only twenty years old, unemployed, living with an alien in a time-travelling spaceship, and constantly in danger. A baby just did not agree well with that mix.

"Yeah." The monosyllabic word was slowly and carefully drawn out, each sound enunciated.

The Doctor slowly strolled towards her, lips turned down slightly in a look that wasn't grim, but nonetheless serious. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his long brown coat. "But you haven't taken a test yet?"

She shook her head. To be honest, she didn't really think she needed a test, not when the symptoms were so obvious.

"Stand still for a second." He said, pulling the sonic screwdriver out from his pocket.

"What're you doing?" She asked, watching as he angled it towards her abdomen.

He held it there for a few seconds. "Body scan. This'll tell us whether or not you're pregnant." The Doctor then held it up so he could look at it, and his dark eyebrows crinkled as if he saw something strange.

Rose glanced down at her stomach for a second, then looked back up at him.

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly, lowering the screwdriver.

His words sent an icy rush through her body, like ice water dripping into her veins. She felt her ribs tighten and her heart speed up. "I'm sorry" could mean many different things.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She ran up to him.

He sighed. "It's negative. You're not pregnant."

Then there was silence. She wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't even sure how to feel. Instinct told her to be relieved. She wasn't pregnant. That was supposed to be good. It hadn't been planned, and the circumstances weren't exactly ideal. It was a weight taken off her shoulders. No having to worry about changing nappies, or breastfeeding, or losing hours of sleep to calm a crying baby. But at the same time, there was a small sliver of disappointment. Just a bit.

"Oh, well, that's good, isn't it?" She said suddenly, smiling for a reason she wasn't exactly sure of.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

"Yeah, I mean could you really imagine us as parents?" She laughed.

"Oi! I used to be a dad, you know." The Doctor said, leaning against the console with his arms crossed and somewhat of a smile playing on his lips.

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But it was a long, long time ago."

Rose wasn't sure, but she swore she could detect some disappointment in his voice. The way he would glance around rapidly, the way his voice would trail off a little. It was a bit surprising. She'd thought he wouldn't have wanted a kid.

There was more silence, and they both looked away from each other.

"Say, how'd you like to eat at sushi bar on an asteroid?" The Doctor said suddenly, grinning once more.

Rose smiled. "Sounds great."

The Doctor leaned against the console, his mind drowning in a flood of thoughts. He pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and analyzed it once more. The readings on Rose's body kept flickering from positive to negative, as if it couldn't figure out whether or not she was pregnant. It wasn't supposed to do that. Something was wrong. He had told Rose it was negative because he didn't want to worry her, but inside he was buzzing with uneasiness. Why couldn't it tell whether or not she was pregnant? It wasn't a difficult task, it was quite simple in fact.

He dug his hand through his hair and sighed. The sonic screwdriver never messed up, not like that. Something had to be messing with it.

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><p>Reviews are always appreciated!<p> 


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Woo! Chapter three! I wrote this in kind of a hurry, so please forgive me for any spelling or grammar mistakes. There's a minor OC in this chapter by the way. I'll try to update soon, but I've got loads of tests this week, so I'm not sure how long it will take me to update.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>After several weeks, it became obvious that Rose definitely was not pregnant. Her nausea stopped, she wasn't drowsy, and she got her period again. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but against all reason she was somewhat disappointed that she wasn't pregnant. Having a baby with the Doctor didn't really seem like a bad thing. She could see him as a father. Maybe not the most conventional father, but nonetheless a father. He could have someone to pass his knowledge onto, someone like him. Of course, she still couldn't get over the fact that he had once been a father. He must've had a wife, too. Someone before her. It was something she knew she shouldn't think about, but she did anyway. She had known there had been other companions before her, that was obvious. She didn't know how many, and she didn't know if they had been as close to him as she had.<p>

Oddly enough, Rose and the Doctor seemed to grow closer after her pregnancy scare. They seemed to have bonded over the tacit fact that both of them were slightly disappointed that they weren't having a baby. Neither of them would admit it, but both of them knew. There was no need to say it; it was painfully obvious. They found solace in each other's company.

Then came the day Mickey called.

"Hello?" Rose said, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Rose, it's me." Came the static-saturated voice on the other end of the line.

"Mickey?" She said, pressing her hand to her ear so she could hear him better.

The signal was riddled with static to begin with, and to make things worse she was standing in the middle of an alien marketplace. The air was congested with words from all sorts of different languages, bartering and negotiating, shouting and whispering, proclaiming that one stall had better products than the other. She was weaving her way through the tangled flow of creatures of all shapes, colors and sizes. The Doctor was standing at a stall not too far from her, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped down some sort of frothy, bubbly concoction spilling over the edges of the cup it was held in.

"Yeah, it's me." Mickey said, and there was something of a smile in his voice. "What's that noise?"

Rose felt her own lips sag a little. She had barely thought about Mickey after she and the Doctor slept together. Their relationship was over, and she knew it. She had known it for a long time. It had been obvious from the moment she started travelling with the Doctor that their relationship would only last for so long.

"I'm, um, I'm in a marketplace." She said, shouting into the phone.

The various aromas of exotic spices, alien fruits, and simmering meats hung in the sweltering air in a thick miasma. Sweat was dripping down her skin, and the fabrics of her clothes clung to her body like a second skin.

"Oh, well, do you think there's a possibility you could come back?" Mickey said.

Rose dodged out of the way of a cart full of yellow fruits with pink spikes. "Come back?"

"Yeah, just temporarily." He replied. "There's something weird going on, there's-"

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs in an alien language, drowning out the sound of Mickey's voice, as if it wasn't hard enough to hear him.

"Sorry, what?" She said, when suddenly she came face to face with the Doctor, who was inspecting some sort of gold egg.

"Rose! There you are." The Doctor exclaimed his lips, which were once wound tightly in a look of concentration, now sprung into an excited smile and his eyes lit up. "Look what I found."

Rose held up a finger. "I'm on the phone."

"Oh, is it your mother again? If it's about that vase I smashed, tell her it was only because I thought there was an-"

"Shh! It's Mickey!" Rose cut him off. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Apparently he didn't hear the "shh" part, because the Doctor kept on talking. "Oh, Mickey! Good ol' Mickey! Mickety-mick-mickster!"

"There's been some UFO activity reported recently." Mickey said, his voice only barely understandable. "And now all the teachers at this school have been replaced."

When he said "UFO activity" she was keen to reply with a simple "so what?" but when he added that the teachers had been replaced, she realized that maybe they did need to go check it out. She wasn't exactly in the mood to go back home though. It felt a bit like Mickey was just looking for an excuse to call her back.

"And you want us to come investigate?" She said, half-listening to Mickey, half-listening to the Doctor babble on about the history and origins of the planet they were currently on.

"Yeah."

She glanced at the Doctor. "I guess we could come check it out."

"Alright, so I'll see you soon then?" There was an unmistakable cheer in his voice, a sort of lightness like his words had been lifted up on wings.

"Yeah, see you soon." She said in a slightly less excited voice, then pressed the _end _button before the conversation could stretch on any further.

Rose shoved the phone back in her pocket and turned towards the Doctor. "Mickey wants us to come back and investigate some weird stuff going on."

"Weird how?" He replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"He said there's been some UFO activity, and that afterwards all the teachers in a school were replaced." Rose explained.

"Hmm, does sound a bit odd." The Doctor said, pressing his lips together and pausing for a second. "Let's go see."

A lunchlady.

Of all the things she could've been, it had to be lunchlady. Standing behind a counter, splattering food that didn't even look edible onto trays. That was all she did. She couldn't have been a substitute teacher, or a reporter, or something else, anything other than lunchlady. It had to be the most mind-numbing, monotonous job she had ever done. Worse than being a shop girl. Not to mention the fact that all the other lunchladies were weird. There was no free time, no fooling around, nothing. It was all work, work, work. Rose had never seen anybody take their job that seriously. And what did the Doctor get to do? He was a teacher. Granted Rose probably wasn't the most qualified person in the world to teach, considering the fact that she had dropped out of school to be with Jimmy Stone, which turned out to be a terrible idea, to say the least. But still, why did she have to be the lunchlady? She'd like to see him in an apron and a hair net.

Rose sighed, squeezing the soaking wet cloth, and then began sliding swiping a table with it. Wiping up the tables. It was the one other thing she got to do besides put food on kids trays, and it was a much-needed break from the weird lunchladies. She swept crumbs from chips onto the ground, even though she was probably supposed to throw them in the trash instead.

"'Scuse me." She said to girl sitting at the table with her nose in a book, _The Odyssey, _to be exact. "Could you lift up your tray for a second?"

The girl put her book down. She was a slender girl, but she seemed tall. She had lightly freckled skin, brown eyes hidden behind eyeglasses, and a nose that was just a bit big. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a sleek, single braid. Rose guessed she was probably around fourteen or fifteen.

"Sorry." The girl said, lifting up the tray.

Rose quickly swept a few crumbs across the table then just let them fall onto the floor.

"Um, I think you're supposed to put them in the trash, miss." The girl said, putting her tray back down.

"Oh, of course." Rose rolled her eyes and laughed a little. "I'm new here, I don't know all the rules yet."

"So am I." The girl said with a smile. "Yesterday I got lost on the second floor."

Rose smiled a little. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Isabella." The girl said. "Isabella Mason."

"Isabella. That's a pretty name." Rose said, finding that she liked this girl.

There was something about her, a sort of sense, a sliver, this weird feeling that somehow she knew her. She hadn't seen her before, but there was something about her face, something…. Familiar.

"Have we met somewhere before?" She asked suddenly.

Isabella shrugged. "I don't believe so, miss."

"Hmm. 'S funny, cause I feel like I know you." Rose said, shaking her head slowly.

"Probably just have one of those faces." Isabella replied, shrugging apologetically.

Rose laughed a little. "Probably. Well, nice to meet you."

"You, too." Isabella said, smiling.

Rose blinked a few times. It was so strange, she swore she had seen her before. She didn't remember where or when, but there was just this feeling. An undeniable sense that somewhere, sometime she had seen this girl. It was like an itch, a nagging sense. God, it was going to drive her crazy. Where had she seen her?

The day had been oddly… Eventful. After Rose spoke to that girl, she talked with the Doctor briefly. He told her about how well-behaved the school was, too well-behaved, and how he had a boy named Milo and girl named Isabella answer questions that were way beyond Earth intelligence. While she was in the kitchen, she noticed the ladies wheeling in a large barrel filled with some sort of gold oil. The oil spilled on one of the ladies, who obviously was in pain from it. But when Rose tried to call an ambulance, they told her not to. After school ended, Rose, the Doctor, and Mickey met up and broke into the school. The Doctor sent Mickey to the Maths room, and he sent Rose to go collect a sample of the oil she had found earlier.

After quickly telling Mickey which way the Maths room was, Rose started down the hall and towards the kitchen.

_Schools are a lot creepier at night. _Rose realized, slowly strolling through the hallway. Silvery blue moonlight filtering in from the windows illuminated the hall. She had never liked schools, ever. Not that she thought there were any kids out there who did like schools, but she really didn't like them. She never had. They seemed like prisons to her, prisons full of textbooks and pencils. When she was little she used to think all the teachers slept in the school.

Then she saw something.

On one of the doors, a hatch opened, revealing a brilliant white background. A woman with an eyepatch on her right eye peered through the hatch, and looked at straight at Rose.

Rose felt her insides jump a little. "Um, hello? Who-who are you?"

The woman was looking at her, yet the way she was looking at her was odd. Like she saw her, but she didn't see her. She couldn't explain.

The woman just stared at her, then turned to someone Rose couldn't see. "No, I think she's just dreaming."

Then the hatch closed. Rose hurried to the door, and opened it. The door swung open, and to Rose's surprise, it didn't reveal a white room. Just a dark, empty classroom. She narrowed her eyes, and looked back at the door to the hatch.

But the hatch was gone.

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><p>Reviews are always appreciated!<p> 


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I cranked this chapter out in the middle of the night, and I figured I might as well post it. This chapter isn't in the POV of Rose or the Doctor, by the way.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>She was running.<p>

Her heart throbbed in her chest, her lungs burned from lack of oxygen, and pain seared in her calves. Tears and sweat and possibly blood slithered down her face and clumped together to form a stinging concoction with a hot, metallic stench. The soles of her feet ached with each step, and it felt like there was fire roaring beneath her skin. Brown hair whipped behind her as she sprinted through the dark alleyway. She wasn't going to make it. They were going to find her and she knew it.

But still, she kept on running.

Something, she didn't know what, but something was pushing her on.

Even though she knew that her capture was inevitable, she kept on running.

Who was that woman, that blonde woman, who was she?

She had seen her before, somewhere, she didn't know where, but somehow she had seen her. It was the least thing she should be worrying about at the moment, but yet she couldn't stop wondering. She had seen that face. Where had she seen that face? And her voice. Something about her voice, she had heard her voice before. Like a distant memory, somewhere, sometime in her life she had heard her voice before. It was going to drive her mad. She liked that woman. She seemed sweet. She was nice, not like anyone else she had ever met.

More tears ran down her cheeks.

She wanted her mum.

She at least wanted to know her name, to see her face. She didn't even know her own mother's name, much less what she looked like. They wouldn't tell her. They wouldn't tell her anything about her parents. She didn't even know if her own name was the one her parents had chosen for her. She remembered those nights when she would scream that she wanted her mother, and they would simply tell her no. When they refused, she would resort to grabbing things and throwing them, marveling at her own strength. But still they wouldn't tell her. Sometimes she would ask them why they needed her, why she had to be kept locked away, never living a normal life like other kids. But they wouldn't tell her. They never told her anything.

Finally, she stopped running.

Toppling over, she gasped desperately for breath. Every muscle was limp with exhaustion. Limp like wet spaghetti. She pressed her hands to her knees and coughed. Then she noticed something on her hands.

Blood.

Sticky, red blood, catching the glint of the moonlight and shining in the dark of night.

She gasped. There was a huge crimson stain on her shirt, and it was growing with each passing second. She was going to die. Tears welled up in her eyes and blurred her vision. The distant lights became bright swirls. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to sob, tremors wracking through her body.

So this was how it would end.

In an alleyway, running from those people, those awful people. How had she even gotten stabbed in the first place? She didn't remember ever being stabbed. Then again, she had been running so fast, so desperate to escape, she probably hadn't even noticed.

Then something happened.

Her hands were….. Glowing. Literally glowing. A strange golden light was emanating from her skin. She held her hands out in front of her, slack-jawed and eyes wide. For a second she thought she was hallucinating, maybe from loss of blood perhaps. But no. She wasn't hallucinating. Her hands continued to glow, and now it wasn't just her hands, but her whole body. Her heart sped up, her lungs tightened, and suddenly her vision was consumed with a bright, golden light.

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><p>Reviews make me write more!<p> 


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Here's another chapter. It might be a little while before I post my next chapter, I just found out my little brother was taken to a psychiatric hospital and could be staying there for a while. I'll try to post the next chapter soon, but I can't make any promises.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>Rose pressed her hands flat against the door.<p>

The hatch was gone.

She slid them across the smooth surface, sure that somewhere she would feel a hatch. But there was nothing. It had just disappeared. _But it was right there. _She stepped back, analyzing the door, searching for some sort of outline, even just the faintest, or a handle, or _something_. But she couldn't find anything. There was nothing to explain what she had just seen. Before meeting the Doctor, she probably would have dismissed it as some sort of illusion, like most people would. But she had traveled with him far too long and seen far too many things to simply brush it off. It was too vivid to be an illusion. Her spine tingled a little as she thought about that woman with the eyepatch. She was eerie. Rose wasn't sure why exactly, but just the thought of her was unsettling.

Rose blinked. Then she blinked again. And again. And she blinked once more, foolishly hoping that somehow after one of those blinks the hatch would suddenly appear. But it didn't. The door stayed the same, smooth, and unmarked.

After finally giving up on trying to find the hatch, Rose resumed her walk to the cafeteria. She couldn't stop thinking about what she'd seen. It made no sense. She had seen many strange and inexplicable things, but never had she seen anything like that. She wanted to brush it off as some sort of hallucination, but she knew it was much more than that. She would have to tell the Doctor. He would know.

When she made it to the kitchen, she quickly put on some rubber gloves and took a swab of the strange oil, which she then put in a Ziploc bag.

A shrill scream pierced through the silence, making her jump. Instinctively she ran towards the source of the scream, bag in hand. Her shoes squeaked against the shiny tile floor. Experience and common sense told her that scream belonged to Mickey. She burst through the double doors and sprinted down the hallway, when suddenly she came face-to-face with the Doctor.

But there was someone with him. A woman.

"Did you hear that?" She said, then nodded towards the woman. "Who's she?"

The Doctor was grinning, and for once Rose didn't feel like grinning with him. "Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose."

The woman was older, probably in her late fifties or early sixties, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was slender, and she wore jeans and a dark jacket. "Hiiii." She said, enunciating each syllable in a way that was too deliberate to be genuinely friendly, and extended a hand towards Rose.

Rose quickly shook her hand, not making any effort to conceal the anger boiling inside her.

"You can tell you're getting older, your assistants are getting younger." Sarah Jane commented, turning back towards the Doctor.

"I'm not his assistant." She retorted.

"No? Look at you, tiger." Sarah Jane said.

Before Rose could say anything more, they ran towards the source of the scream, where they found Mickey. He was standing in front of an open supply closet, surrounded by vacuum-packed rats.

"Sorry, it was just me." He said, as if it wasn't obvious. "I opened up this door and these all fell out."

The Doctor raised an eyebrows, his upper lip curled condescendingly. "And you decided to scream?"

"It took me by surprise!"

"Like a little girl?" The Doctor retorted in a slightly falsetto tone. "Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt."

Already irritated enough, Rose cut in. "Excuse me, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this?"

When no one replied, she continued. "Rats in a school?"

"Well, obviously they use them in biology lessons, they dissect them." Sarah Jane stated matter-of-factly, then turned to look at Rose. "Or perhaps you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?"

"Excuse me, they don't use rats in school, they haven't done that for years." She replied in a surprisingly calm voice considering her growing irritation towards Sarah Jane. "Where are you from, the dark ages?"

Before Sarah Jane could reply, the Doctor cut in, obviously sensing the tension between the women. He lead them to Mr. Finch's office. On their way there, Rose found out (much to her displeasure) that Sarah Jane used to travel with the Doctor. This frightened Rose a little- not because the Doctor had had companions before her, she was fine with that, but because the Doctor never mentioned Sarah Jane. Not even once. It made her begin to wonder, would that be her fate, too? It couldn't be, she and the Doctor were so close. They had almost had a baby, they were practically lovers. Yet Sarah Jane had been close to him too, maybe not as close, but nonetheless close. And now he never even mentioned her. Would the same someday happen to her? Would he someday leave her, find someone else, and completely forget about her?

Upon entering Mr. Finch's office, they discovered several bat-like creatures- thirteen, to be exact- hanging from the ceiling, sleeping. With that they quickly ran outside, only to realize they needed to go back in to get inside the TARDIS so they could test the sample Rose took. Of course, Sarah Jane apparently had something else they could use, and revealed a tin dog in the back of her van. Once again, this had the Doctor beaming, and Rose was pushed aside once more. Apparently the dog was called K-9, and used to be his. The only problem with K-9 was that he was broken.

Kind of like how Rose was feeling.

Wanting to get away from the school, they drove to a small café.

Rose plopped down on her seat, sitting across from Mickey. She poked at her small box of chips with her fork, still feeling bitter. The Doctor had chosen to sit with Sarah Jane and tinker with K-9. Rose purposely averted her gaze from them.

Mickey, however, seemed rather happy with the whole situation.

"I have prepared a little "I was right" dance, I'll have to show you later." Mickey had said as they stood at the counter, waiting for their food. "All the time you've been all "he's different", but he's just like any other bloke."

Rose had replied with an exasperated "You don't know what you're talking about", and Mickey had admitted that maybe he didn't, but she should probably go easy on the chips.

She froze in mid-bite, considering his words for a second. _Go easy on the chips, I don't need to go easy on the chips. _She thought, tentatively biting down. _Do I? _She looked towards the wall, and gasped.

On the wall, a hatch had opened, revealing a shocking white background, and the woman with the eye patch. She stared at Rose, then slammed the hatch shut, and the hatch disappeared.

"Did you see that?" She said, pointing towards the wall.

Mickey looked confused. "See what?"

"That woman, with the eye patch." She said. "She was looking through a hatch, in the wall."

Mickey shook his head slowly. "Rose, I didn't see anything."

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><p>Reviews make me write more!<p> 


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I'm back, with a new chapter! *Throws confetti in the air and balloons shower down*. I found out at that my baby brother has Bipolar Disorder, so today I'm going to go visit him at the psychiatric hospital, and I figured I'd post this chapter before I left. It's a bit short, but I think you'll enjoy it. :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I cry myself to sleep over that fact every night.

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><p>For the rest of the night, Rose remained rather quiet after she realized she was the only one who saw the woman with the eye patch. It scared her now even more than it did before; if she was the only person seeing this woman, what did it mean for her? Was she going insane? Perhaps the oil (which the Doctor had soon identified as Krillitane oil) was doing things to her head. But why wasn't anyone else seeing strange women with eye patches looking at them through hatches? Why was it just her? Could it possibly be something about her DNA, perhaps? The question haunted her throughout the rest of the night. Another question also haunted her. What would happen after she left the Doctor? Would she become like Sarah Jane, simply another companion in a long list? While they were leaving the café Rose asked him if she would have the same fate as Sarah Jane, to be left behind. He replied sadly that it was too hard to because humans wither and decay, while Time Lords lived on. He then said "Imagine watching that happen to someone you-" but he stopped at 'you', and when Rose asked him what, she thought he was going to say love, and she felt an elated tingle rise in her chest, but he didn't say it, and the tingle became a solemn pain in her lungs.<p>

They hurried back to the school, where Rose had to go with Sarah Jane to go see what was in the computers. It wasn't long before they were competing over who had seen the better things. Rose had listed things such as the gas-mask zombies, the Slitheen, in_ Downing Street, _the Emperor of the Daleks, which she also destroyed, and a real werewolf. Sarah Jane said she met mummies, anti-matter monsters, and the Loch Ness monster. Rose couldn't help but be impressed by that last thing (She had always wondered about that). Soon, they were no longer arguing, but rather bonding over the Doctor's quirks, such as how he would stroke bits of the TARDIS. She found that Sarah Jane was actually quite likeable, quite sweet, in fact. Soon afterwards the Doctor discovered that the Krillitanes were using the children to unlock the Skasis Paradigm, some sort of paradigm that could apparently give whoever cracked it control of the building blocks of the universe. Apparently they needed children to unlock the paradigm, they needed imagination, so they used the children. This angered the Doctor, who said that they weren't just using the children's minds but their souls, and once again Rose began to think that the Doctor would've been a good father. In somewhat of a blur to Rose, the school was blown up, destroying the Krillitanes (Or was it the oil that destroyed them? She wasn't exactly sure), and all the students celebrated by laughing, cheering, jumping, and hugging. It was all quite heartwarming, really. Rose offered to Sarah Jane that she could travel with them, but she declined. Mickey, however, did want to go.

"Can I go?" He said. "Cause I'm not just the tin dog."

The Doctor seemed more than happy to let Mickey travel with them, but Rose wasn't so enthusiastic. She still wasn't sure what kind of a relationship she and the Doctor were in, and this wasn't making her any more confident. First there was Sarah Jane, the Doctor's inability to say love, and now _this_. It was as if he was running away from her, like he was scared or confused, and it hurt her. Before she had thought they were closer than that. But now, now she wasn't sure anymore. Now she had no idea what they were like.

"Doctor?" Rose said, stalking up to him as he set the coordinates for their next location.

According to him, it was a planet called _Filla, _trees were telepathic and the sky was a deep shade of purple during the night and lavender during the day and there was a forest where one could walk through and hear ancient songs whispered in their minds. It sounded lovely, but with Mickey involved, it sounded less special. More like a field trip and less like a date or a honeymoon….. She hated that.

"Is it possible that that oil could cause hallucinations?" She asked tentatively, leaning against the console.

The Doctor opened his mouth briefly then closed it, then opened it again. "Um, why do you ask?"

"Well, while I was at that school, in the hallway I saw this…. _Woman, _with an eye patch, and she was looking at me through a hatch in a door." Rose started, pausing when she noticed the way he stared at her, almost as if he knew something she didn't and it was scaring him. "And I went in, and she wasn't there. The room was completely empty. And then I saw her again at that café, with Mickey, but he didn't see her."

The Doctor tilted his head in consideration and shrugged. "Well, I suppose perhaps it could cause some strange reactions differing from person to person. Perhaps yours was images of this woman."

Rose smiled a bit, feeling the pain of fear ebb in her in body in relief. "Alright, good, 'cause I was starting to think I was going crazy." She laughed.

The Doctor laughed too, but something about the way he laughed was unsettling. It was too quick, too happy, like he was trying to hide something.

"Rose, did this woman, um, say anything to you?" The Doctor asked suddenly, which made Rose a bit uneasy.

She shrugged. "She said 'I think she's dreaming' or something like that."

"Say, have you ever heard of the Flesh?" The Doctor said, pressing a few buttons, pulling a few levers, and twisting some sort of spiral-looking thing.

Rose shook her head.

"Well, it's quite fascinating actually, it's this substance, and it makes identical copies of human beings, but what makes them different from regular clones is that the person who's copied sees everything through the eyes of the clone, hears everything, feels everything." He said, smiling in a way that looked somewhat forced. "It was developed in the 22nd Century. Anyway, we should go see it sometif9orme, it's truly quite… Brilliant, it's quite brilliant. Say, why don't you go get Mickey, we'll be arriving soon."

The Doctor watched Rose walk off and sighed, clenching the edge of the console and raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. Never in his life had he heard of Krillitane oil causing hallucinations, and he was completely sure it was impossible for it to cause speaking hallucinations. Of course, he did quite like impossible, except for that kind. The kind where the thing that was impossible suggested something ominous, something he didn't want to imagine. First there was the inconclusive pregnancy test, and now this, Rose seeing a woman looking at her through a hatch. And what the woman had said, 'I think she's just dreaming' that roused something fearful in the pit of his stomach, because to him that sounded like a nurse.

Or a midwife.

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><p><strong>Reviews are what make me write more!<strong>


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Alright, this is where things really take a turn. I'm not going to lie, this chapter's a bit rushed, but I figured you guys were probably sick of waiting for the action to really start. I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>Mickey didn't last long in the TARDIS.<p>

They visited a few different places, all of which didn't turn out too great. It was when they accidentally fell into the parallel world where zeppelins ruled the skies and Rose's dad was still alive that Mickey decided to leave, to take care of his grandmother. What surprised Rose was that she was actually sad to see him go; she didn't hate Mickey, they were good friends, in fact, but with him traveling with the Doctor just wasn't the same. She missed the intimacy, the natural closeness of them. And now she had it back. Things became a lot better, after that.

There was still something haunting her, though.

That woman with the eye patch. She was back.

She appeared to Rose continually, on walls, on doors, all kinds of places. And each time when Rose tried to speak to her, she simply ignored her. There were some times when she would speak, but it was to someone else. On one occasion, it did seem that she was speaking directly to Rose, but what she said made no sense. She said 'It's fine. You're doing fine. Just stay calm'. She didn't understand. She wasn't even sure if the woman actually saw her, if the woman was even real. But it scared her, nonetheless. Because there was absolutely no explanation for what she was seeing. She didn't tell the Doctor, though. She was scared to. Scared of what his answer might be, or worse, that he had no answer. Part of her wanted to tell him, but she could never bring herself to. She usually justified her reluctance to tell him by saying to herself 'She's not hurting me' or 'Maybe certain effects of the oil last longer than others' (She didn't really believe the oil was causing her visions, but it at least made her feel somewhat secure). Deep down she knew she had to tell him. This wasn't normal at all.

But she couldn't.

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><p>The next place they landed was a space base on a planet called Krop Tor, which meant <em>The Bitter Pill<em>. When they first arrived, they were swarmed by a horde of Ood ominously stating that they must feed, but it quickly turned out that they meant they must feed _them_. Then they met people, who for some reason were astonished that there were actual people other than themselves on the base. It turned out it was because the planet they were on was somehow inexplicably orbiting a black hole without falling in. The crew members were Zach, Ida, John, Scooti, and Toby. And the Ood, of course. After a gigantic storm which shook the entire station violently, something terrible happened to them—they lost the TARDIS.

Rose sat down across from the Doctor, plopping her tray full of food she really couldn't identify and probably didn't want to down on the table. "So-"

She stopped in mid-sentence. Her eyes focused on the wall behind the Doctor, and without warning, she stood up and slowly began walking towards it.

"Rose?" The Doctor said. "Rose?"

But she didn't answer him. Something about that point on the wall, something was drawing her there.

A hatch opened, revealing a woman with an eye patch.

Rose jumped back, her body quaking as the woman stared at her with that eerie, dark look of hers. The woman glanced to someone outside of the frame of the hatch. "She's almost ready. A few more hours would be my guess."

Rose stood very still, her heartbeat a trembling inside her painfully tightened chest. Her mouth hung agape as the woman looked straight at her.

"Soon, my dear. Very soon." She said to Rose, then slammed the hatch shut.

Rose gasped, every inch of her body, from her fingertips to her knees, quivering in fear. Her stomach did somersaults and kneaded itself into bizarre contortions, goose bumps rose on her flesh even though she wasn't cold.

"Rose?" The Doctor said slowly, and she turned around to look at him. "What's going on?"

She ran to the table, eyes still fixated on that point on the wall. "It's that woman, again. That one with the eye patch. She spoke to me."

The Doctor leaned forward, his eyebrows creeping together. "What did she say?"

"She looked at someone and said something about me almost being ready." She said slowly, inhaling and exhaling slowly as she tried to calm her violently shaking body. "And then she looked at me, and she told me something was going to happen soon. I don't know what, she just said it was soon."

The Doctor rubbed his temples, then raked a hand through his hair. "Well, it's probably just a time memory. Like a mirage."

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><p>Not long later Scooti was found dead, floating above the station, her face eerily blank, slowly drifting towards the black hole.<p>

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><p>A little while later the Doctor and Rose visited the Ood habitation, where the Ood were all sitting. Rose was still shocked at the way they simply offered themselves up as willing slaves, being ordered about this way and that, allowing people to call them stupid and treat them like they were unimportant. They claimed it was all they craved, but she just didn't buy it. What about before they were slaves, what did they do then? They couldn't have been born believing that their whole purpose in life was to be a slave.<p>

Danny said the Ood's telepathic field was only supposed to be basic 5.

But it rose from five to six, to seven, and it kept on rising. It got larger and larger and larger, until it hit 100, which according to Danny, meant they should be dead.

They stood up simultaneously, and announced in unison that he has woken, and that they would worship him.

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><p>The Doctor went underground with Ida, while Rose stayed up above, reassured by the sound of his voice over the communications device.<p>

Before he left, Rose pressed a kiss to the Doctor's helmet.

He had tears in his eyes when she did. When she asked him why, he replied that it was nothing, something Rose had never heard him say before.

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><p>Sometime later a voice filled the base, a deep, dark voice. It pointed out the deepest darkest secrets and insecurities of each person on the base.<p>

Then it came to Rose.

"The valiant child, who is doomed to lose the thing most precious to her so very soon." It said, and even though Rose had no idea what the owner of the voice looked like, she knew it was smiling to itself.

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><p>Before she knew it, they were running from the Ood in ventilation shafts.<p>

John didn't make it.

Then Zach, Danny, and Toby were carrying a kicking and screaming Rose into a spaceship. Rose refused to leave without the Doctor. But they injected her with something that made her pass out, and the next thing she knew she was in a spaceship, flying away from Krop Tor, without the Doctor.

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><p>Out of nowhere, by some bizarre, inexplicable miracle, the Doctor's voice came over the intercom, and the TARDIS materialized in the ship.<p>

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><p>Rose ran to the Doctor and found herself wrapped in the tightest hug she had ever received and was lifted off the ground. She buried her face in his shoulder, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. She had been so close to never seeing him again, so very close, and now, here she was, wrapped tightly in his arms. There wasn't a moment where she had felt happier than this. Right now, at this very moment, time seemed to stop, planets stopped spinning, lungs held in their breath, and the whole world waited. She laughed and cried at the same time, unsure how to react now that she was with him.<p>

Finally, the Doctor slowly put her back down, but he continued embracing her. "Breathe, Rose. But only when she tells you to."

Rose stepped back, confused. "Okay, what are you-Aaah!"

Pain spasmed in every muscle of her abdomen, a horrible, gut-wrenching pain Rose had never felt in her life. She keeled over, clutching her stomach. Tears began welling up in her eyes, and this time they weren't tears of joy. They were of pain. Horrible, tremendous pain.

"Doctor," She whimpered, crying out as another wave of pain rolled through her, "What 's happening?"

The Doctor just stared at her with a solemn look on his face, his eyes blank with a sort of pain and his lips downturned in a look of guilt. "Contractions, Rose. You're going into labor."

"What?" Rose said, leaning over and clutching her stomach. "What are you talking about?"

The Doctor watched sadly as she grabbed the edge of the console and cried out in pain. "You're having a baby, Rose."

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><p>She just looked at him as if he was crazy, her eyes glazed over with pain and her lips trembling. The Doctor wrapped his arm around her and helped hold her up. It hurt to look at her. The pain, the way it contorted the features of her face, he could feel that pain. He wanted so badly to help her. Beneath the rage that was simmering inside him, he felt guilt. A horrible, blood-chilling guilt. The look of pain on her face, the look of betrayal. For once in his life there was nothing he could do to help her. When she needed him most, he was useless. He despised himself at that moment. He had kept that secret from her for so long. At first when he considered it, he didn't believe it. It didn't seem possible. But when Rose said the woman with the eye patch appeared to her and said something about her being ready, he knew his worst fear had been realized.<p>

"Doctor." She whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "I don't understand."

The Doctor gently placed a hand on her cheek. "I promise you, Rose, that no matter where they take, no matter how far, I will find you. I'll find you and I'll find our baby."

"Who's 'they'?" She cried, her lips trembling violently.

He sighed, the words a bitter taste on his mouth. "The people who took you."

"Doctor, I'm right here." She said, shaking her head slowly.

The Doctor removed his hand from her cheek and stepped back. "No you're not, and you haven't been for a long time." He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and pointed it at her. "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry."

He pressed a button, and Rose collapsed into Flesh.

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><p>Rose's eyes flew open. She gasped for breath, feeling like her lungs were empty of oxygen. She was in a room, a white room, and she was lying on a table.<p>

Suddenly, a hatch in the ceiling slid back, revealing the face of the woman with the eyepatch. She looked down at her, and grinned, a dark, sickening grin. "Oh, you're ready to pop, aren't you?"

Rose lifted her head a little, and felt every inch of her body go numb with shock. She was staring at her belly, her large, pregnant belly. Her lips began to tremble, a whimper slithered up her throat.

"Little one's on its way." The woman said, and then lowered her voice to an eerie hiss. "Puuuush."

Rose felt a surge of pain tear through her body, and she tossed her head back and screamed one word, one word only.

"Doctor!"

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><p><strong>Review, review, review!<strong>


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Woot! Woot! Chapter 8!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

**Warnings: **There is a childbirth scene. It's not graphic or anything, but it's painful and might be hard for some people to read.

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><p>Rose screamed. Pain shot through her whole body, a horrible, unbelievable pain. Like a knife ripping through her hips and abdomen. Every muscle straining like a rubber band stretched to its breaking point. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. They streamed down her cheeks like a river, drying up on her skin and leaving a salty residue.<p>

"Doctor!" She screamed again, even though she knew it was hopeless.

The woman above her chuckled, and the sound of her voice was like a chill down her spine. "Your precious little Doctor can't hear you, child. He doesn't even know where you are."

The weight of her words sent another wave of pain through her body. If she wasn't in so much pain, if she were capable of coherent thought, she would consumed by the fear of the fact that she had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was the Doctor pointing the sonic screwdriver at her, a solemn look weighing down his features, and grimly saying "I'm sorry", and then suddenly being here, full-term pregnant, with the mysterious woman who had been haunting her for so long literally watching over her.

Another wave of pain rolled through her. She gritted her teeth and suppressed a scream as the cacophony of pain consumed her. Where was the Doctor? She wanted the Doctor, she needed him by her side. To at least know he was there, to feel his presence, that would provide some sort of comfort. But he wasn't there. She had no hand to hold, no one to whisper to her that everything would be alright. She didn't even know where she was.

More pain ripped through her body. She tossed her head back, screaming out for someone, anyone. She was scared. So scared, and so alone, and in so much pain. Sweat and tears dripped down her face and mingled together. Her muscles ached, her stomach felt like there was a knife cutting through it, and her whole body felt like it was being torn apart.

It went on for hours.

Rose had no way of keeping time, but she knew her labor lasted for hours. Minute after minute of pure and blinding pain. Horrendous, horrifying pain. Like nails clawing through her muscles, like tendons being ripped apart, bones shattering. It was horrible. And the way that woman stared down at her, it was as if she enjoyed watching her writhe in pain. It was humiliating.

Finally, after hours and hours of searing, horrifying pain, a baby began to cry.

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><p>The Doctor charted the coordinates to his next location, fingers slow and methodical, muscles tight as he tried to restrain his rage.<p>

He was angry.

No, more than that, he was furious.

They took her. They took Rose. Right out from under his nose, they just took her, and they replaced her with a Flesh copy. And now she was in some hospital, alone, terrified, and in labor. She was probably screaming for him while he stood there in the TARDIS. She had no idea where she was, only that she was giving birth. He should have realized it sooner. It was his fault, he was the one who denied it all that time when he knew something was wrong. Right from the beginning, with the strange pregnancy test, he should have known she had been replaced with a Flesh duplicate. And then the woman with the eye patch, that should have been a dead giveaway. Yet he had been too much of a coward to do anything, he didn't want to imagine that something bad happened to Rose. His Rose. And now not only did they have Rose, they had his child. His and Rose's child. They were planning to use it no doubt for its mixed DNA. Half-human, half-Time Lord. The perfect weapon. They were going to turn a child into a weapon. And he had no doubt they were going to take it away from Rose. As if she wasn't already going through enough pain, there was worse still to come. He had to get there before they took the baby away.

It wasn't hard for him to pinpoint the location where the signal to the Flesh had been projected. He was able to track the signal from the Flesh. The location was an asteroid in the 52nd Century known as Demon's Run. His best guess was that Rose was there. Unfortunately, he couldn't just go and get her. No, Demon's Run was a military base. The Doctor was going to have to do something he had never done before.

He was going to gather an army.

He was going to go to war.

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><p>Rose didn't get to see her baby when it was born. Instead, two women came in, one of them grabbing the baby and quickly exiting the room, without even announcing whether it was a boy or a girl. The shrill cries of the baby slowly dimmed, sending panic coiling through her bones. If every muscle in her body weren't completely numb, she would have lifted her head and screamed for them to bring her baby back. They would let her see it, wouldn't they? Icy chills shot through her blood as she began to wonder if they intended to take the baby away from her. They wouldn't do that. They couldn't do that.<p>

"Can I see my baby?" She said to the other woman, who was filling a syringe with some sort of clear liquid. "What's that?"

The woman did not answer her, but rather simply pierced her arm with the needle. Pain erupted in her arm, like fire roaring through her muscles, then it melted into an icy stiffness. After a few seconds, the weakness in her body began to alleviate a little.

"Please, can't I see it?" She pleaded as she gasped for breath, her chest heaving up and down. "Please? Please?"

"Get up." The woman said blankly, helping Rose sit up off the table and press her feet to the floor.

The stark white floor was cold, and she stumbled a little as she slid off the table. Her legs were still limp from exhaustion, and putting weight on them made her entire body feel like it was about to collapse. She looked towards the door where they had taken her baby, and felt a twisting pain in her chest. She didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl. The way the women had taken away the baby without even telling her the sex of it made her worry what intentions they had for her child. Of course, from the moment she had woken up in this place she had pretty much known whoever these people were, they weren't her friends, and they certainly didn't seem to be in league with the Doctor. She had been kidnapped. She didn't know how or when, but she had been kidnapped. She had no doubt it was to get a hold of her baby. And that made her mind go to horrible, terrifying places as she thought of what they could do to her baby.

"Please, can I just see my baby?" She begged, slowly sauntering towards the open door. "Can't you at least tell me if it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's a girl." The woman replied sharply, guiding her into another white room.

A girl. For a second, all the bad feelings seemed to go away, all the fear and the worry, and suddenly Rose was filled with elation as she finally began to realize that she know had a daughter. Her own little daughter. She was a mother now. For a moment, things began to seem like they would finally be okay.

"You can get washed up in here." The woman said. "There's fresh clothes over there."

The room was small, with a sink with a mirror over it, a small white chair in one corner, and in the other there was a small bench with a large, white button-down shirt and matching pants laid across it. A toothbrush and hairbrush laid on the edge of the sink.

"When can I see my daughter?" Rose said, turning to face the woman. "I will get to see her, right?"

The woman, whose pale face had remained flat and emotionless the entire time, softened a little, into a look that seemed to be a mixture of sympathy and guilt. "Yes, now hurry and wash up."

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><p>Rose quickly changed into the shirt and pants, which were surprisingly comfortable. She splashed cold water on her face and quickly analyzed herself in the mirror. She wore no makeup, her skin had a sickly pallor to it, and her hair was a wavy, stringy mess of full of askew strands. She looked awful, to say the least. Like she had just been brought back from the dead. It made her wonder how long she'd been in this place and never even knew.<p>

After she washed up, she was taken through a hallway. At first, she had thought this place was some sort of hospital, but now as she was taken through the dark, metallic hallways, it seemed more like a prison. The cold air nipped at her skin, making goose bumps rise in her flesh. She shivered constantly, but her mind was focused on seeing her daughter now. She had been thinking of names during her long walk through the hallway. Olivia was a nice name. Annabelle was pretty, too. Elizabeth, maybe. She could be called Libby for short. As she walked through that hallway, trying to decide on a name, there was sense of dread swimming inside her. She had a sickening feeling that the time spent with her new daughter would only be temporary. But she didn't want to think that, though. And even if it was intended to be temporary, she remembered the Doctor's promise to her before she woke up in this place. He'd promised he'd find her and her baby. He would come for them. Surely he would, he had to, he was the Doctor. And this was his daughter, too. He had to come.

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><p>She was ushered into a large, somewhat oval-shaped room, with a gigantic window that overlooked some sort of military-looking area below, full of men and women in camouflage uniforms and strange cloaked figures that sent chills down Rose's spine. The ceiling, walls, and floor were, not surprisingly, all white. There wasn't any furniture in the room, but there were two staircases that led to the upper area where the door was.<p>

Rose was told to wait in there, and that in a few minutes they would bring in her daughter. She stood in there for what felt like hours, waiting, her eyes locked on the door, hoping that they would slide open and in would walk someone with her daughter. She still hadn't come up with a name. She liked Eve, that was pretty. But so was Isabella. Or Claire. Still, she wished the Doctor could be with her, and they could decide on the name together. But that didn't seem to be possible at the moment. Her only consolation was that she knew he was looking for her. He would overturn the whole universe if he had to. There was a reason he was called the Oncoming Storm.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, a woman walked in with a child wrapped in a white blanket in her arms. Rose broke into a smile, her first smile in a long time. She ran towards the woman, who gently passed the baby to her, and offered her a kind congratulations.

Rose looked down at her daughter.

She was the most perfect thing she had ever seen.

She was small, her skin still mottled and heavily tinged with pink. Her eyes, which were wide open and darting around the room as if they were trying to take in her surroundings as quickly as they could, were a deep shade of dark brown, just like the Doctor's. Her head was covered in fuzzy wisps of brown hair, which made her look even more like the Doctor.

"Wow, you look just like your dad." Rose said with a soft laugh, tears welling up in her eyes.

So this was what it was like to become a mother. She had heard so many times about how wonderful it felt to hold your baby for the first time. But she had never imagined it would feel this amazing. Looking down at her daughter, cradling her close to her chest, she realized she had created this child. This little girl had been living inside her, and now she was holding her in her arms. She never wanted to let go of her. Not ever, not in a million years. This was her baby.

And then, suddenly, the perfect name came to her.

"Sophie." She said, smiling so wide her cheeks were aching. "Sophie Tyler."

Then she heard the doors slide open.

Rose looked up, and saw the woman with the eye patch strolling in.

Instinctively she took a step back and hugged Sophie closer to her chest, her heart accelerating into spasmodic convulsions. "Who are you?"

The woman simply smirked, with a smugness that made Rose want to hit her. "What a pretty child. What's her name?"

Her words sounded as if they were meant to be friendly, but there was absolutely nothing friendly about her voice.

"You didn't answer my question." Rose said in between gritted teeth, stepping back even more now.

"Fine. My name is Madame Kovarian." The woman announced, the thin corners of her lips still upturned in a devious smirk. "Now, tell me, what is your daughter's name?"

Rose opened her mouth, her lips trembling a little. It was hard to get the words out, like her voice was suddenly gone. "Sophie. Sophie Tyler."

Saying her name to Madame Kovarian felt like a betrayal to her daughter, as if she had just sold her to some stranger or left her on a doorstep. She tried to remain calm, but a lump was growing in her throat and her eyes were hot with unshed tears.

"What a perfect name." Madame Kovarian said.

Rose looked down at Sophie, and felt nothing but sheer guilt and pain. "Why are you doing this?"

"Miss Tyler, your daughter is half-human half-Time Lord." She said slowly, her gaze locking unsettlingly on Sophie, which made Rose pull her daughter towards her chest protectively. "As you can imagine, that gives her abilities no other creature possesses. And I intend to use those abilities. Your daughter will become the greatest weapon in the history of warfare."

"No!" Rose cried out, backing away quickly. "My baby is not a weapon."

Looking down at Sophie once more, more guilt began to wrench at her heart. No, this couldn't be happening. They couldn't turn a child into a _weapon_. It was sick, it was wrong. Oh no, she was crying. She didn't like crying, she didn't want to cry, not now, not in front of her daughter. She was stronger than this, she wasn't a crier. She hated herself right now. She was crying in front of her daughter. This wasn't her.

"But she will become one." Madame Kovarian replied snidely. "Just give us time, and she will."

"You can't have her." Rose snapped, wishing now more than ever that the Doctor was with her.

This seemed to irritate Kovarian, and her thin lips twisted into a frown. "You should be thankful we're letting you have your time with her before she's gone. Some people wanted to remove her from you immediately."

Anger began to boil inside her. Yes, she was angry. Very, very angry. It started out as a dull flicker and grew into a roaring conflagration of hate and rage. "You're not taking her away! I won't let you."

"You have no choice." Kovarian said, then started up the staircase towards the door. "So I suggest you enjoy the time with her you have left."

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	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Here's another chapter, it's a short one.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>"I'm sorry things have to happen like this." Rose said quietly to Sophie. "I'm sorry that you'll never be loved or cared for."<p>

Her time with Sophie was almost up. Kovarian stood nearby waiting, along with at least twenty soldiers. She didn't want to say goodbye; even just thinking of it caused heart-wrenching pain. Swallowing a painful lump, she inhaled and blinked away some more tears.

"But I can promise you that there's someone on his way, right at this very minute." She said, forcing a smile. "He's called the Doctor. And he's looking for us. He'll stop at nothing to find us."

"Two minutes." Kovarian called out, her icy voice like a dagger slicing through silk.

Rose glared at her, curses and obscenities piling up in her mind. She wanted to voice each and every hateful thought she had towards that woman, that evil woman, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Whole armies can't stop him, not even this lot." She continued, and with each passing second her words became more and more painful. "And he will do everything in his power to find us."

She could feel the eyes of person in the room on her, and it made her feel so tiny and vulnerable. Sophie stared up at her, and Rose swore she could see fear in her large brown eyes. And it hurt. Never had anything hurt so much. Cuts, bruises, broken bones, none of them compared to the pain she felt from watching her own daughter be scared. And she couldn't be there to comfort her.

"The Doctor, he's not just any ordinary man." She said, tears blurring her vision. "He looks young, but he's lived for hundreds of years. And throughout all those years, he's saved worlds, ended wars, and I promise you that he'll save us."

A sharp pain swelled in her chest. That fear, that confusion, everything that Sophie felt, she was feeling it too. She wanted so badly to rid Sophie of that pain. She would feel that pain for her if she had to. But she couldn't. There was nothing she could do to help her daughter, and she hated herself for that.

"And you know why he's gonna save us?" A smile pulled at her lips, and at the same time tears rolled down her cheeks. "Because he is your father, and even though he hasn't met you yet, I promise you that he loves you very, very much."

Rose looked up, and saw Kovarian approaching her, arms open and ready to accept Sophie. "Hand her over, Miss Tyler."

She stepped back, shaking her head. "No. I won't let you take her."

"Don't make this difficult." Kovarian warned, inhaling slowly, her voice riddled with irritation. "Hand her over."

She looked down at Sophie, then pressed her close to her chest. She couldn't do this. Not now, not ever. Her first child, and she was giving her away. This baby wasn't simply a tiny little person, she was a part of Rose. Giving her away was like cutting off a limb. Even just the thought of it sent knives of pain through her lungs. This couldn't happen, she wouldn't let it happen. This wasn't how her first time as a mother was supposed to be. She should've known she was pregnant, she should have spent nine months preparing and awaiting anxiously the birth of Sophie, and the Doctor should have been with her the whole time. Never once had her pregnant belly been lovingly kissed or caressed. She had never gotten to feel that first kick. All of those wonderful moments, stolen away from her. And now they were stealing away her baby.

"Just give me a few more minutes with her." She begged, still stepping back. "Please."

"Your time is up. Hand her over before we take her by force." Kovarian said, the thin corners of her lips turning up in a way that made Rose feel sick.

She was enjoying this, wasn't she? She was enjoying watching a new mother have her baby taken away from her. Rose remembered when she went into labor that evil grin Kovarian had on her face, and she remembered the way she taunted her, reminding her that the Doctor couldn't hear her, that all her screaming was hopeless and pathetic. What kind of person could enjoy something like that?

Hot tears stung her eyes, pain filled her chest, and she choked a little as she swallowed a burning lump that pulsed in her throat. She lifted Sophie up a little, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I love you." She said, trying to restrain her sobs.

Then, very slowly, she handed Sophie to Kovarian.

"Well done." Kovarian said, once again grinning that sick, evil grin of hers.

Rose choked a little as she watched Sophie be placed in a large white cot. A soldier grabbed the cot, and then began making his way up the staircase, along with Kovarian and the rest of the soldiers. Then the doors slid shut, and Rose broke into full-fledged sobs.

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><p>On the ship of the 12th Cyberlegion fleet, a noise began to fill the main control room. It fluctuated, growing louder then dimmer over and over again, and with each crescendo a blue box began to materialize.<p>

The door of the blue box swung open, and out stepped a man in a brown coat, features contorted with rage. "Where is Rose Tyler? Oh don't act so innocent. The 12th Cyberlegion monitors this entire quadrant, you hear everything. So you tell me what I need to know and I'll be on my way."

Around them every other Cyberlegion ship exploded.

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	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Hey, sorry it took me so long to update. I took a trip to Dallas, and I was gone for a while. But I'm back! Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

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><p>Rose clutched the silvery railing, tears still hardening on her face. Her skin was encrusted in the salty residue of her own tears. She had finally stopped crying after what felt like and had probably been hours—she had probably run out of tears, in fact. But that didn't stop the grief and the guilt of knowing that her daughter had been taken away to some strange place by complete strangers to be raised to become a weapon used to kill her own father. She was probably scared, so very scared. So alone. They wouldn't love her, they wouldn't care for her. She did find a slight fragment of solace in the fact that since Sophie was apparently so important to them, they would certainly make sure she was healthy. But that was all she knew. Other than that, she had no idea where her daughter was, what they were doing to her, or how they were treating her. She was no more than a weapon to them, a mere tool. Of course she wouldn't be loved.<p>

She swallowed a painful lump and looked down through the window, where a man was giving a speech to his troops about the Doctor. She could hear him through a speaker in her room, his voice painfully amplified. He spoke of how the Doctor was no more than a man, how they could kill a man. This was all wrong, all of it. The way he spoke of the Doctor, as if he was some sort of monster or war criminal, she hated it. This was wrong, all of it. Who were these people? Why did they hate the Doctor? So much they were willing to use his own daughter as a weapon against him? Who could do such a thing?

She heard the doors open, and looked back.

One of the soldiers, a young woman, was entering the room. Her dark hair was pulled back into a single braid and her pale face was free of any sort of makeup.

"Who are you?" Rose said, automatically feeling a degree of dislike towards her.

"My name's Lorna Bucket." The girl said, and she pulled a small cloth out of her pocket. "I came to go you something."

"Yeah, I recognize you now. You were there when they took my baby away." Rose looked back at the window. "Whatever it is, I don't want it." Under her breath, she added, "I just want my daughter back."

She didn't like this Lorna girl. She was one of the people who took her baby, and she expected to just waltz right in like nothing had happened?

"It's a prayer leaf, with your daughter's name on it in the language of my people." Lorna said tentatively, despite Rose's effort to make it clear she didn't like her nor did she want whatever she was giving her. "According to legend, if you keep it with you, your child will always return to you, no matter how far they've been taken."

Listening to her words, for a second Rose felt her hatred ebb away. It didn't last though. "That's nice of you, but you're working with those people. Maybe you weren't the one who took her, but that doesn't make you any better."

She knew Lorna was only trying to be nice, but right now she felt like showing kindness to no one. And there was something oddly addictive about ignoring her gestures of kindness, like a kind of pain that almost felt good. There was some sort of sick pleasure that came from hurting this girl when she was only trying to help. At that moment she wanted to hurt anyone associated with those horrible people, she wanted to let them know exactly how much pain they had put her through. And no flimsy prayer leaf could make things better.

"I only joined them to meet the Doctor." Lorna said, still holding out the prayer leaf. "I met him once before, when I was young. He told me to run."

Rose looked down, chuckling a little. "Funny. That's the same thing he told me when I first met him. I was just working in a shop at the time, and I was cornered by these plastic, monster…. Things, and he grabbed my hand, and he told me to run." She looked back at Lorna, and smiled a bit. "Sorry 'bout what I said earlier. I didn't know you'd met him."

"It's alright, I can understand." Lorna replied, the corners of her mouth turning up in a tentative smile.

"Can I have that thing? The prayer leaf?" Rose asked, reaching out her hand to receive the prayer leaf.

Lorna nodded and handed it to her. "Of course."

Rose looked down at the soft piece of fabric. Sophie's name was sewn into it, into some sort of other language, she couldn't tell what. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lorna said, and began making her way towards the door. "I have to go back now."

Rose nodded, and looked back to the window. She gently ran her fingers across the fabric, feeling it's softness under her fingertips, and sighed a little. _According to legend, if you keep it with you, your child will always return to you, no matter how far they're been taken. _Lorna's voice echoed in her mind. At the last minute, she turned back around.

"Lorna." She called out, right before the girl was about to exit the room. "When he comes, and he will come, be on the right side. For your sake."

After Lorna left, Rose continued watching the speech. It only made her feel worse, reminding her that even though the Doctor was coming, there was an entire army waiting for him. She still wondered, why did these people hate the Doctor so much? What had he done to them? She couldn't imagine what he could've done that would make them go to such lengths to destroy him.

She heard the man below start to speak about the headless monks, and she pressed her hand against the window and watched as the man slowly paced in front of three of the strange hooded men.

"It is considered a level one heresy to remove the hood of a headless monk." The man said, stopping in front of one. "However, we have been granted permission by the Papal Mainframe to let you see what is under these hoods."

Rose considered turning away for a second, knowing that whatever was under there wasn't pretty. Why else would they hide it under hoods? But they couldn't actually be headless, could they? It wasn't possible. Of course, it was a bit idiotic to say that it wasn't possible for them to be headless when after traveling so long with the Doctor she knew that almost anything was possible.

The man pulled back the hood of the first monk, and Rose gasped.

Beneath the hood was nothing at all but a twisted knot of skin that must have once been its neck.

She felt sick. Her stomach curdled, her entire body became stiff with fear. She tried to look away, wanted to so badly, but something kept her eyes focused on the horrifying sight. It was one of those things that was so horrible she couldn't look away. They really were headless. Instinctively she moved as if she were trying to shield Sophie from the horrible sight, then remembered she was gone. A needle of pain shot through her chest.

The man removed the hood of the second monk, proclaiming that this one was a new member, and revealed the same awful sight as before.

Then, he grabbed the hood of the third monk, and pulled it down.

Only this time, it didn't reveal a knot of skin—under that hood was the Doctor.

Gasps and screams rippled through the crowds, as if he was somehow a more terrifying sight than a knot of skin where a head should be.

The Doctor grinned, the biggest grin Rose had ever seen on him, and shouted. "Rose Tyler, pack your bags, you are going home!"

Rose smiled and laughed and cried all at the same time, jumping up and down like a child. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, she couldn't stop smiling, and suddenly her once fatigued body was now full of vigor.

The monks raised their swords and the marines raised their guns, and suddenly the lights went out. Rose pressed her hands against the glass, hearing her heartbeat thump in her ears with anticipation and excitement.

The lights came back on, and the Doctor was gone.

"You know, it really was quite a brilliant idea, replacing Rose with a flesh duplicate." The Doctor's voice boomed through the speakers, but it didn't seem to have any point of origin. "I'm not going to lie, you had me fooled for quite some time. But did you not consider that I could easily trace the signal projecting to the Flesh back to its point of origin?"

"Also, did you not think about how _furious _I would be, when I found out that not only had Rose Tyler, you'd taken our child." His tone darkened to something angry and malevolent, and for a second even Rose felt like shrinking back in fear. "Lucky for them, I'm come to rescue them. Not so lucky for you lot, though. Now you get to find out why they call me the Oncoming Storm."

Suddenly the lights came back on, and down below a platoon of Judoon soldiers rushed in from the left, guns raised, and from the right came in a group of Silurian soldiers, armed and ready for battle. Rose grinned, unsure if she had ever been this ecstatic before.

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	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Here's chapter 11. This took me a while to write, and to be honest, I'm still not sure about it. But nonetheless I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

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><p>Madame Kovarian sped through the dark hallway, her heels clacking against the metal floor. Behind her followed two soldiers carrying Sophie Tyler in her cot. The child's frightened cries rang through the hallway, irritating Kovarian more and more.<p>

"Remember, he must think he is winning until the very end." She said, stopping in front of a door and punching in a code into a small keypad near the door.

The doors slid open, and out stepped a handsome, dark-haired man in a dark blue overcoat. He held up two guns, and instinctively Kovarian stepped back a little.

"Who are you?" She gasped.

"Name's Captain Jack Harkness." The man announced with a grin, then his tone darkened. "Hand over the child. Now."

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><p>The Doctor watched the multiple screens protruding from the wall of the surveillance room, unable to stop himself from smiling as he observed his success. He had captured the base in less than four minutes without bloodshed. It was undoubtedly one of his greatest moments. A whole army had been waiting for him, and he had completely outsmarted them. Of course, despite his satisfaction, he was still bubbling with rage. They had kidnapped Rose, his Rose, and they had taken Rose's child. And not only was it Rose's child, it was his child. Just the thought that they had taken Rose made a dull flame of anger swell inside him, and the fact that they had taken his and Rose's child made the flame ignite into a roaring conflagration. He intended to show these people exactly how angry they had made him.<p>

"We have Colonel Manton, Doctor." A woman said, and the Doctor turned around to see a female Silurian holding a tall man in uniform at sword-point.

Just looking at him the Doctor knew he didn't like him. The way he stood, even when captured, seethed with egotism and arrogance.

"So, you're Colonel Manton, then?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "If you can't tell, I am very, very angry right now. Furious, in fact."

Colonel Manton watched him as he began to pace back and forth.

"Answer me this, did you take Rose's child away from her?" He said, gritting his teeth in an effort to contain his rage.

Colonel Manton replied with nothing but silence and a look of wounded pride.

"Answer my question."

No answer.

"Answer it!" He snarled, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"_Colonel, the troops are awaiting your orders." _A static-saturated voice rang out from the colonel's communication device.

An idea bloomed in the Doctor's mind, a devious, vengeful idea, and it made him smirk. "Tell them to run away."

"What?" Colonel Manton said.

"Tell them to run away." He repeated, crossing his arms and staring at him expectantly.

Colonel Manton slowly reached for his communication device. "Run away."

"Good. Those words, 'run away', I want you to be famous for those words." The Doctor said, smug satisfaction coiling inside him. "I want people to call you Colonel Runaway, I want children to laugh at your doorstep because they've found the house of Colonel Runaway. I want those words to haunt you for the rest of your life, reminding you of the mistake you made."

As he spoke more and more, his voice grew louder and louder, until it was a roar. He let himself give into anger, let himself give into the desire for revenge. He became the Oncoming Storm. All the anger, rage, pain, guilt, all of it poured out of him with each syllable. He was filled with energy, like a fire inside him, fueling him on.

"And let this serve as a warning to anyone who thinks that it is a good idea to try to get to me by hurting the people I love." He roared, directing his attention to the other soldiers who were on Colonel Manton's side. "You do not hurt the people I love!"

As his rage died down, he stepped back.

"Hey, Doc!" The familiar voice of Captain Jack Harkness made him look to the right, where he saw the captain hurrying towards him with a white bundle in his arms. "I got your kid."

Suddenly, he forgot all about his rage, and smiled.

"Here." Jack said, gently handing the small bundle to the Doctor. "Congratulations, by the way."

The Doctor cradled the bundle in his arms, and found himself looking down at the face of a little baby girl with fuzzy brown hair. "Hello there." He said to the baby, laughing a little.

It had been so long since he'd been a father. So very long, he had forgotten what it felt like to hold his child in his arms. But now once more he was a father. He had a daughter now. A beautiful, newborn daughter. She looked up at him with dark brown eyes, wide and inquisitive.

"Come on." He said to her gently. "Let's go find your mother."

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><p>A firm knock at the door made Rose jump. Heart thudding in her chest, muscles tight with alarm, she looked around for something, anything, to use as a weapon. She spotted a strange toothbrush-looking object on a nearby table and grabbed it, holding it up as if it were a sword.<p>

"Whoever you are, I'm warning you, I'm armed with a… Toothbrush." She started out with a yell, but as she glanced to the strange object with the bristles at the end her voice started to falter.

A familiar voice replied. "Rose, it's me. The Doctor. Just give me a second, and I'll be in."

Rose smiled, dropping the object. Excitement fluttered in her chest, but it died down quickly as she remembered that her daughter was still in Kovarian's hands. "They took her, Doctor. They took our daughter. I wish you had seen her, she looked just like you. She was so perfect."

Tears began to well in her eyes and stain her cheeks, something that had happened to her many times that day. A hot lump slid down her throat and she choked a little, and she silently admonished herself for crying so much. She was better than this, she was Rose Tyler. She was the girl who had survived a werewolf attack, who had been held prisoner by the Daleks and lived, who'd helped stop the Cybermen from invading a parallel world.

"They just…. They just took her, right out of my arms." She whimpered, still remembering how soft Sophie had felt when she held her.

The doors slid open, and in walked the Doctor, grinning, and holding an unmistakable white bundle in his arms.

"You found her!" Rose exclaimed, running towards the Doctor with her lips spread in a grin.

Sure enough, cradled in the Doctor's arms was none other than Sophie Tyler.

The Doctor passed Sophie to Rose, who quickly hugged her daughter protectively against her chest. She looked down at Sophie, smiling. Relief flooded through her, cool, sweet relief like cold water on a hot day. The moment was so perfect, almost too perfect, and for a second, Rose didn't want to believe it. But here she was, Sophie in her arms once more, and now the Doctor was with her, too.

"Say hello to your daddy." Rose said, gently turning Sophie so she could see the Doctor. "I told you he'd find us."

"What's her name?" The Doctor asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sophie Tyler." Rose said, laughing a little as Sophie wrapped her tiny hand around her finger.

The Doctor looked surprised. "Tyler? What about Smith? You know, like John Smith?"

"Smith? You want to name our daughter Sophie _Smith_?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, when you say it like that, I suppose I see your point." He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Besides, you call her Smith, people will think Mickey's her dad."

That seemed to set something off in the Doctor. "Definitely not Smith then. Love Tyler. Fabulous name, terrific, perfect for her."

Silence then settled between them. Not an uncomfortable silence, but rather a silence that fit. A much-needed silence. There were no words for the moment. It was perfect as it was, mother and father admiring their new daughter.

"She's perfect, Rose." The Doctor said, clasping Sophie's small hand inside his.

Rose sniffled a little, realizing how close she was to losing her daughter. "Isn't she? She looks just like you."

"Yeah, but I bet she's got all of your personality." He replied, and Rose swore she saw his eyes growing damp.

Sophie just stared up at both of them with a look of awe on her face, waving her stubby arms around energetically. Looking down at her, Rose really began to realize how close she had been to never seeing her again. She felt a pang in her chest, and her eyes began to water.

"No, you should really call her 'Mummy', not 'Big milk thing'." The Doctor said suddenly, which made Rose shake her head and raise an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" She said, the look on her face something between curiosity and worry.

"I speak baby." The Doctor said with a quick nod, then directed his attention back to Sophie.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I speak everything, don't I, Sophie?" He said, grinning.

Rose laughed. "Right, of course you do."

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	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Here's chapter 12! I decided for the eleventh Doctor to make a quick little appearance in this chapter, to please all the Eleven/Rose fans reading this. It's not anything huge, just a small moment with Rose. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Doctor Who, this would not be a fanfiction, it would be a real episode.

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><p>Sophie's shrill cries rang through the air as Rose tried in vain to calm her. She cradled her in her arms, gently bouncing her and rocking her in hopes that it would sooth her. It didn't. She wished her mum could be with her right now, she at least wished she could ask for her advice. Then it dawned on her—her mum didn't know about Sophie yet. She hadn't even known Rose was pregnant. Then again, Rose hadn't known she was pregnant until a few hours ago. And what a surprise that was.<p>

"Shhh, it's okay." She whispered, feeling the first tendrils of desperation coil inside her. "Just-just calm down, we'll be out of here soon, I promise. Your dad's just got a few more things he's gotta take care of."

She and Sophie had been down there for at least ten minutes now, and though she didn't want to admit it, her patience was wearing thin. About five minutes ago, the Doctor had disappeared into the TARDIS, saying he was looking for something for Sophie. Rose had no idea what it was, but she hoped it could somehow calm Sophie down.

"Maybe she needs a change." A dark-haired girl with a sword suggested.

Rose shook her head. "No, I already tried that."

"The child must be hungry, hand her over." A Sontaran commanded, walking towards her.

"I can feed her myself, thank you." Rose declined, stepping back instinctively.

"I have been gene-spliced for all nursing duties." The Sontaran loudly declared in a tone that was almost proud. "I can produce magnificent qualities of lactic fluid!"

"It's alright, really." Rose said, eyeing the Sontaran nervously.

Rose wasn't too familiar with Sontarans. She had come across them once with the Doctor, when they accidentally landed on the planet Sontar. They had been taken prisoner, but the Doctor quickly found a way out and they were back to the TARDIS in no time. Not nearly enough time to truly learn about their species and culture, but she did manage to figure out that they were militaristic and belligerent. So she was at a loss to understand why this particular Sontaran was offering to breastfeed her baby.

"Aren't Sontarans supposed to be soldiers?" She asked.

The Sontaran's mouth twisted into a wounded grimace. "I was denoted to nurse for failing in battle."

Rose nodded slowly, and opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly the Doctor emerged from the TARDIS with a blue cot in his arms.

"I found it!" He announced excitedly, rushing over to Rose and setting the cot on a nearby crate.

The cot looked ancient. It's dark blue paint was chipped and faded, exposing brown wood. Gallifreyan symbols were drawn across it in gold. It had a mobile hanging from it. The mobile consisted of small sculptures shaped like stars and planets and painted gold.

"It's beautiful." Rose said with a smile. "Is it yours?"

"Of course it's mine! This is from when I was a baby." He declared with an enthusiastic grin, running his hands across the edges proudly. "Ow, splinter."

Rose looked down into the cot as the Doctor attempted to remove a splinter from his thumb using his teeth. "Are you sure it's safe, Doctor?"

"Sure it is. I was kept in it when I was a baby." He said.

"You sure she won't get covered in splinters or anything?" She inquired, protectively cradling Sophie against her chest.

"Rose, she's perfectly safe in there. I put in a new cushion and a new blanket." He reassured her, patting the blanket in the cot.

Suddenly someone called out. "Doctor, I think you should come see this."

"I'll be right back, Rose. I just need to go see something." The Doctor said, starting towards the man who had called to him.

Then he stopped, turned around, and kissed Rose on the lips. At first Rose was surprised, and simply stayed stiff, but then she melted into the gentle kiss, feeling warmth spread through her body starting at the tips of her toes. Then he pulled away, and they both smiled.

A rush of feelings took over Rose. Her heart fluttered ecstatically, her knees felt like jelly, and heat bloomed in her face. If she had ever been unsure about what kind of relationship she and the Doctor were in, she no longer had to worry. That kiss told her everything.

The Doctor then pressed a reverent kiss to the top of Sophie's head. "We'll be out of here soon. I promise."

Rose nodded quickly, and watched as the Doctor sped off to see what the man was talking about. She looked back at Sophie, and suddenly realized for the first time that her crying had finally ceased. Slowly, she placed Sophie in the cot, then rested her hands on the sides and smiled as she looked down at her. The mobile above seemed to immediately grab Sophie's attention. Her brown eyes widened and she started reaching up as if she wanted to grab the stars. Rose chuckled and gently spun the mobile, which seemed to fascinate her daughter even more. She clenched and unclenched her tiny hands, her stubby fingers stretching up as much as they could then curling into small fists. Rose found herself fascinated and a bit scared by how delicate she was. So very, very small and defenseless. It made her mind wander to scary places, to think about how many things could go wrong, could hurt her. An instinct to protect Sophie at all costs had overtaken Rose now. She had already lost her once, and she couldn't even bear the thought of losing her again.

"Excuse me, sorry, can I see her?" Someone said, making Rose look up.

A young man with floppy brown hair, a tweed jacket, and a ridiculous red bowtie was standing at the other side of the cradle. Rose felt a frisson of panic shoot through her, followed by a twinge of curiosity. Had she seen this man somewhere? Something about him was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint it.

"Who are you?" She said, instinctively reaching for Sophie.

The man smiled, and once more there was something frustratingly familiar about his smile. "I'm an old friend of the Doctor's. My name's John…. Johnny. Yes, my name's Johnny. That's my name."

Rose eyed him suspiciously, unsure how to react to him. Never once had the Doctor mentioned a friend by the name of 'Johnny'. And the way he said it, it sounded like he made it up on the spot. Yet at the same time, there was this inexplicable urge to trust him. She felt a sort of gravitation towards him, something almost instinctual. Had she met him before? It was starting to drive her crazy. She had to have met him _somewhere, _at _some time _in her life. But when? When had she seen him and where?

"He's never mentioned ya." She commented slowly, still ready to grab Sophie.

Johnny (If that was his real name) laughed. "Not surprising, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Erm, can I hold her? Just for a second?"

Rose looked down at Sophie, and nodded. "Sure, I guess so."

Johnny gently scooped Sophie into his arms and cradled her gently. "Hello, there."

Watching him, Rose felt both on edge and at the same time touched by his affection. From the way he held Sophie, he looked like a father. There was just a sort of familiarity about his manner, as if he had held a child many times before. And in his eyes, there was almost a sort of…. Wistfulness. Almost sadness.

"Are you a dad?" She inquired tentatively, watching closely as he rocked Sophie slowly.

He looked up at her and nodded quickly, a small smile on his lips.

_He looks a bit young to be a dad, though. _She thought, narrowing her eyes. In the back of her mind, a question still ached. Why was he so familiar? She had never seen his face in her life, yet she felt as if she had known him forever. That smile of his, it was so vaguely familiar, and those eyes. They were the eyes of a young man, yet when she looked at them they seemed so ancient. Suddenly, Rose realized who he was.

"D-Doctor?" She stuttered, both fear and excitement swirling inside her and making her dizzy.

The man looked at her, and smiled, and right then she knew. "Hello, Rose Tyler."

Rose's mouth hung open, but no words came out. The Doctor smiled sadly and handed Sophie to her, and when he did she saw tears simmering in his eyes.

He reached out and gently touched her hand, his thumb rubbing circles on her wrist. "I'm so sorry for what happens next."

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><p>"What is it?" The Doctor said when he reached the surveillance room.<p>

Dorium Maldovar, a large blue man in long robes, sat in the chair. A large computer screen was mounted on the wall, filling the otherwise dark room with a bright, silvery glow. On the screen was a picture showing a strand of DNA, probably Sophie's. But there was something wrong about her DNA, something different. It structure didn't seem to fit a human/Gallifreyan hybrid. In fact, it seemed as the Gallifreyan genes were dominant. But that was wrong, they couldn't be. If anything, the human DNA should have been dominant.

"Is this Sophie's?" He asked, feeling his muscles go stiff as he realized what this could mean.

There was no way Sophie's DNA had started out like that. It had to have been manipulated somehow, changed so that she would be more Gallifreyan than human. The Doctor clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles protruded beneath the paled skin and his veins began to ache.

They had experimented on his daughter.

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><p>Rose sat on a crate, rocking Sophie, still feeling dazed by what had just happened. She had just met a future version of the Doctor. It felt surreal, unimaginable. The way he had held Sophie, it was so gentle and so tender. And there was also something sad when he held her. Almost like he hadn't seen her in a long time. And that scared her. And what he said, his warning, that scared her even more. What did it mean? Why did he say it?<p>

"You know I once got pregnant." Captain Jack said suddenly, strolling nonchalantly towards Rose. "Not exactly a pleasant experience."

Rose raised an eyebrow, smirking. Part of her didn't want to believe him, but the other part did. He was Captain Jack Harkness, after all. Who knew what kind of sketchy things he got into? She laughed a little as she pictured Jack with a large, swollen belly.

She opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly the lights went out.

Several gasps rippled through the air, slicing through the murky darkness. Rose felt her whole body seize in fear. She clutched Sophie close to her chest, her heartbeat speeding up and her muscles tightening fearfully.

Then the lights came back on.

"Who did that?" She asked, her eyes darting around to the different people in the room.

Everyone shook their heads.

"There are no other life forms on the base, excluding us." The Sontaran said.

Rose looked around, tingles rippling through her body. Apprehension dripped down her spine like ice water, and she had the sudden urge to turn around in case someone was standing behind her. The sensation of being watched took over her.

"The monks don't register as life forms." Madame Vastra, a Silurian woman with a sword, said.

Suddenly, Sophie began to cry once more. Her shrill wails rang through the air like a siren. To Rose they were like nails against a chalkboard, simply because they told her that her daughter was in some sort of distress.

Then, a dark chant filled the room, and the Headless Monks stepped out of the darkness and slowly edged towards them.

Jack immediately ran to Rose. "Rose, you need to hide."

She nodded quickly and darted for cover behind a large crate. Fearful tears gathered in her eyes, and she adjusted Sophie so that she was held upright and looking over Rose's shoulder. Cradling her as close as she could, she began to whisper to her daughter that everything would be alright, that they were safe, that Jack and all those other people wouldn't let the monks hurt them.

"Protect Rose and Sophie at all costs!" Jack yelled, and the battle began.

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><p>Kovarian's smug face came onto the screen.<p>

"You!" The Doctor snarled, narrowing his eyes at the awful woman.

"Hello, Doctor." She replied smoothly, oozing a sort of satisfaction that made the Doctor uneasy.

He pressed his hands flat against the metal desk. "What did you do to my daughter? What did you do to her?"

He let himself shout. He had every right to shout, every right to let the Oncoming Storm take over him. These people had experimented on his daughter, his _infant _daughter, and for what? To turn her into a weapon? To equip her with the needed skills to kill and then send her into war?

"We simply enhanced her DNA." Madame Kovarian replied with a tight smirk, chuckling a little.

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "If you've hurt her or if your have hurt Rose in any way, I swear that I will find and I will-"

"You will what, Doctor? Kill me?" Kovarian remarke with a cold laugh. "You? He who despises guns and warfare?"

He clenched his hands into tight fists. "Why did you take my daughter? What do you need from her."

"Your daughter is hope in the endless, relentless war against you, Doctor." She replied, the thin corners of her lips curling up in a sardonic smirk.

"My daughter is not a weapon!" He yelled, the anger that had gathered up inside him now surging through him in the form of pure adrenaline.

He hated these people. He hated them so much, and nothing in the world could alleviate that hatred. They had kidnapped Rose, they had taken Sophie away from her, and then they had performed _experiments _on her, an infant, a tiny, helpless infant.

"Oh, give us time Doctor, and she will be." Kovarian countered, still calm and smug as ever.

Very, very few times did the Doctor ever feel prone to violence. Sure, he got angry. He got very, very angry. But almost never did he truly feel the need to hurt someone. Now was one of those rare times.

"Except you don't have her anymore, and I swear that I will never let you anywhere near her again." He replied in a voice that was bordering on a snarl, and he smiled a bit, knowing that he had the upper hand.

"You know, Doctor, fooling you once was a joy, but fooling you again with the same trick is just a privilege." Kovarian said with a smirk.

The Doctor froze. "No."

"Oh, yes, Doctor." She replied, smiling a sick, twisted smile.

_No, no, no. _He swore his hearts stopped beating for a second and icy dread filled him.

Then he ran for Rose.

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><p>A cacophony of gunshots and screams filled the air as the battle raged on only a few feet away. Rose crouched down as much as she could to try and keep herself hidden from the monks. Sophie cried fearfully, and she gently rocked her, cradling her small head and whispering to her that she was safe. She tried singing lullabies to her, even ones that she could barely remember, adding in her own words in the places of the lyrics she couldn't remember. She whispered to her over and over that everything would be alright, that the monks couldn't hurt them. But as the battle continued, she felt her own body be overtaken by fear. Everything had been going so well until now. Sophie was with her once more, Demon's Run had been captured by the Doctor's army, and the Doctor was with her. But now things once again had taken a turn for the worse, and it made her want to cry and scream.<p>

"Shh, shh, it's alright, it's okay." She said tearfully, her voice wobbling the more she heard her daughter's fearful cries. "It's alright, we're safe. They can't hurt us."

Rose hated herself for not being able to comfort Sophie. She was her mother, she was supposed to be able to help her. Yet still her daughter was scared, terrified, in fact, and there was nothing she could do.

Suddenly she heard something splash on the floor.

Then she realized she could no longer feel Sophie in her arms.

"What?" She whimpered, staring down in horror at the blanket.

Fear seized her, every muscle pulsed in horror. She became deaf to the pandemonium surrounding her. Her entire body froze. Tears welling in her eyes, she squeezed the blanket, unable to grasp what had just happened. Whimpering, she unfolded it, she turned it over, she clenched it, she did everything she could, as if her daughter was just somehow hidden somewhere inside the blanket. _No, no, no, no. _It couldn't be. It wasn't possible, it wasn't supposed to happen.

Finally, she realized that Sophie was gone, and she screamed. "Doctor!"

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><p><strong>What do you think? I love your opinion! The more reviews the more I write!<strong>


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: **I'm back! I've had a horrid case of writer's block, plus I've been studying obsessively for Quizbowl, so it's been hard to write lately. This chapter is very short, I admit, but I promise the next chapters will be much much longer.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I still cry myself to sleep over that fact.

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><p>"Rose, Sophie isn't real, she's Flesh!" the Doctor shouted the minute he burst through the doors.<p>

He slowed to a stop, and found himself staring upon the remnants of a battle that had taken place only minutes earlier. The bodies of the Headless Monks lay scattered across the floor along with their swords. Shiny pools of blood crept across the floor. He looked at Jack, who shook his head sadly, and nodded towards Rose.

She was sitting on a crate, still clinging to the white blanket Sophie had been wrapped in. Her eyes were glazed over with red, her face was stained and blotchy from tears. She was slouched over in defeat, something the Doctor had rarely ever seen Rose do. This was Rose Tyler, the strong, clever, and somewhat stubborn human, yet thanks to that awful Kovarian woman, she was huddled over and weeping for her lost child. He couldn't blame her. Sophie was his daughter, too. He wanted her back more than anything, he wanted to watch her grow up, to guide her through life. It had been so long since he had been a father, and when it finally happens again, he fails.

"Rose," he said under his breath.

She looked up, and ran to him, wrapping him in a tight hug and burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I should have known," he said quietly, gently embracing her. "This is all my fault, I should have considered they'd made a copy of her."

"She melted," Rose whimpered in a trembling voice. "Right in my arms, she just…. _Melted_. I thought she was dead. And now she's with that _woman_."

"I know, Rose. I tried to warn you in time, but obviously I was too late," the Doctor said, feeling a pang in his hearts as he thought of what they were doing to his daughter at that very moment. "I'm so sorry you had to experience that."

Rose slowly pulled away from him. "I just want her back, Doctor. I just want our daughter back."

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><p>The Doctor charted the coordinates for the Powell Estate, his fingers moving joylessly over the buttons. Rose had said she wanted to see her mother, and he completely understood why. She needed her mother, after everything that had happened. While he hated to admit it, he knew that sometimes there was just certain things Rose needed that he couldn't provide.<p>

"We'll find her, won't we, Doctor?" Rose said as she made her way towards him, rubbing her eyes.

He looked at her. "Of course we will. It might take some time, but I promise you Rose, we will most definitely find her."

He was lying, and he knew Rose could sense it. He had absolutely no idea where they could have taken Sophie, other than somewhere on Earth so she could be raised in the proper environment. But that was all he knew. He had absolutely no idea where exactly on Earth or what time period they would take her. They could take her anywhere. Maybe he had all the time he needed to find Sophie, but Rose's lifespan was limited. It could take them decades to find Sophie, and by the time they did, Rose could be dead. He shuddered at the thought of losing Rose. It was inevitable, but he hated to think about it.

"I just don't want to miss all those things, you know?" she said with a sniffle, her voice still trembling a little. "All those birthdays, and her first words, things like that. I want to see her grow up. I just want to see her again."

"Rose, I promise you, I will stop at nothing to find her. It's just that it is going to be difficult, but I assure you, I'll find her." Pain wobbled in his throat, and he looked back at the console, not believing his own words.

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><p><strong>Review! Review! Review! I love reviews, they cure me of my writer's block!<strong>


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: **I know, another short chapter. This was supposed to be longer, but I've got a Quizbowl game tomorrow that I need to study for, so I figured I'd just post this now and then post the second part the next day. As always, I love reviews, the more reviews I get the more I write!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>"Here we are," the Doctor said, pulling a lever on the console and turning towards the doors. "The Powell Estate."<p>

Rose nodded slowly, her eyes downcast and her arms crossed. It had been hard for her to smile after losing Sophie. Even though she knew the Doctor would find their daughter, it felt too difficult to smile at the moment, as if she should instead be mourning. It scared her to think of the things those people could be doing to her daughter.

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><p>"Rose!" Jackie said excitedly, running towards her daughter and pulling her into a hug.<p>

Rose wrapped her arms tightly around her, her mother's embrace comforting. "Hi, Mum."

Hot tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheeks, and she sniffled a little. Once more she thought of Sophie, and felt a pang in her chest. A painful lump surged up her throat, but she tried to push it down, sick and tired of crying. _Crying will get me nowhere_, she told herself. She was surprised she still could cry, after all the tears she'd shed.

"Rose, are you crying?" Jackie pulled away from their embrace to look at her daughter, and immediately her eyes widened with fear and concern. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Rose looked away for a second and wiped a few tears off her cheek, pressing her lips together in an effort to contain a sob. "Mum, when I tell you this, you have to promise you won't freak out, alright?"

"What? Why? What happened?" this time her words came out sounding more like a demand than a question, and she noticed her mother's eyes roam briefly towards the Doctor, who was standing grimly in the doorway.

"Promise me you won't yell," she said, gripping her mother's shoulders.

"Why?" already Jackie was raising her voice, even though Rose had just asked her not to yell.

"I had a baby," she confessed with a sad smile, unable to stop more tears from rolling down her face.

"You what?" Jackie immediately lunged at the Doctor, and slapped him across the face.

The Doctor staggered back, rubbing his now bright red cheek. "Ow! What was that for?"

"What do you mean what was that for? You got my twenty-year-old daughter pregnant with an alien baby, you bloody bastard!"

Before Jackie could slap him again, Rose grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. "Mum, don't, it's not his fault. We didn't know it could happen."

"So where is this baby then? It hasn't got tentacles or two heads or something like, has it?" Jackie said, looking towards the TARDIS, when Rose pulled her back once more, feeling more tears surge. "I want to see my grandchild, even if _he's_ the dad."

"You can't," she said softly, choking a little.

Her mother's face softened when she realized her daughter's own face was downturned and red from tears. "What do you mean? Why can't I see it?"

"She's gone," the Doctor said suddenly, the flatness of his tone masking his grief.

"What?" Jackie said, looking back at Rose. "Oh my God, she didn't-"

She stopped, as if she couldn't bear to utter the last word, as if it was too horrific to even think about.

"No, she…. These people, th-they took her away," Rose broke into sobs once more, hating herself for crying.

It was then that she realized how empty she felt without Sophie in her arms, like she had lost a piece of herself. Images of Sophie's tiny face, with her curious eyes, chubby cheeks, and her fuzzy brown hair, flashed through her mind. Then she thought of Kovarian's sickening grin as she was forced to hand her daughter over to that horrible woman. Anger twisted inside her, coupled with despair and emptiness.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," her mother pulled her into a hug again. "That's horrible. They just took her away from you?"

Rose nodded.

"But why?"

Rose pulled away from the hug. "How about we sit down and I'll tell you everything?"

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><p><strong>Review! Review! Review!<strong>


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait, folks. I've been swamped with homework and Quizbowl practice, and to top it off I've been blocked for a while. Luckily I'm back.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

**Warning: **There's angst in this chapter. Lots of angst.

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><p>Jackie brewed herself and Rose some tea, taking the few minutes to make sense of the news that had just been delivered. It horrified her, knowing her own daughter had had her first child taken away from her. She herself knew the pain of being separated from her daughter. For an entire year, Rose had been gone. Without a trace, with no warning whatsoever, she had just seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet. All that time, never once had she known why Rose had left, where she had gone, whether or not she was even alive. She even went as far as accusing Mickey of murdering Rose. Of course, it turned out to be due to some sort miscalculation by the Doctor. She still resented him a little for that. But know she knew him better, and she understood. Part of her was still angry at him for getting her daughter pregnant, but she had known ever since that last Christmas that it was inevitable. Just from the way they looked at each other, she could tell those two were completely enamored with each other. And now she felt sorry for him, after she had seen the way he stood at the door, his eyes downturned and empty, his face grim. It was then that she became acutely aware of the fact that he was suffering, too. He understood that it was his daughter, not just Rose's, who had been stolen.<p>

Jackie grabbed the kettle and poured two cups of tea, one for herself and one for Rose. She had offered the Doctor a cup earlier, but he had turned it down with a 'No thank you'. Hazy tendrils of steam rose from the two cups. She grabbed them and returned to the living room, where Rose and the Doctor were sitting on the couch.

Rose was resting her head on the Doctor's shoulder, her eyes, puffy from crying, half-closed, and her lips downturned in a frown.

"Here you go, Rose, fresh cuppa," she said, handing the cup to Rose, who sat up and gladly accepted it.

Jackie sat down on the opposite couch, setting her cup down on the table. "Alright, tell me what happened."

"Well, I started seeing this woman, through this hatch," Rose began, leaning forward and pushing her hands through her hair.

Jackie couldn't help but notice how disheveled she looked. Her skin was pale without her usual makeup, her eyes looked smaller without the help of eyeliner and mascara, and her hair was frizzy and full of waves.

"She would just appear out of nowhere, and then she'd disappear," she continued. "And I was the only one who ever saw her. Sometimes she would say things to me, like she told me to breathe, but when I spoke to her it was like she didn't hear me. This went on the whole time I was pregnant."

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Jackie inquired, somewhat scared to hear the rest of Rose's story.

"I didn't know," she replied.

"How did you not know you were pregnant?"

Before Rose could answer, the Doctor cut in. "Shortly after the baby was conceived, these people kidnapped Rose, and they replaced her with this…. Duplicate, and Rose saw everything through its eyes, so as far as she knew, she was still travelling with me. In reality, she was being kept in a hospital, while her daughter was developing."

"Yeah, exactly. And I kept seeing that woman cause she was looking at the real me through this hatch. Anyway, I started getting these pains all of a sudden, and the Doctor, he told me to breathe and he said he'd find me," Rose said, her voice slightly raspy from her tears. "And of course, I had no idea what he was talking about. But he told me I was going into labor, he activated the sonic screwdriver, and suddenly I woke up in this room, with that woman looking over me through a hatch."

Jackie covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.

"I had to give birth there. That was terrifying, cuz I had no idea where I was, and I had just realized I was pregnant," Rose said with a sad smile. "Anyway, the baby was a girl. I named her Sophie. Sophie Tyler. She was the sweetest thing, Mum, you should've seen her. She had all this fuzzy brown hair, and these big brown eyes. Spitting image of her dad."

Jackie smiled a little, picturing her granddaughter. Pain swelled in her chest, and she knew that the worst part of the story was yet to come.

"I got to spend a little bit of time with her, holding her, playing with her," she said, wiping a tear away from her cheek. "But then they said that my time was up, and they told me I had to hand her over. 'Course, I didn't want to, not after that. But they forced me, and I had to give her to that woman, and then they just walked off with her."

Now Rose was fully crying, and Jackie felt the urge to hug her, to comfort her, just to stop her daughter's pain.  
>"But then the Doctor showed up, and he had a whole army with him. They took over the whole place in minutes, and the Doctor found Sophie, and he brought her to me," Rose smiled a little, but it was a sad smile, and it faltered quickly. "I got to spend a little more time with her. I thought we were safe, but then all of a sudden she just… Melted, in my arms, just melted. It was cause she was one of those clones, like the one they replaced me with. She'd been with them the whole time."<p>

Horrified, Jackie looked away for a second, feeling her own eyes water at the thought. "Oh my goodness, Rose. But, why'd they take her."

"They took her cause she's half Time Lord, and they wanna turn her into a weapon," she explained. "But it's okay, though, because the Doctor, he's gonna find her. He found me, he can find Sophie, too."

After their discussion, Rose excused herself to her old bedroom, and promptly fell asleep, undoubtedly exhausted from her ordeal. Jackie watched sadly as she laid in her bed, asleep. She couldn't believe what had happened to Rose. It was horrible, even just to think about. Taking a child away from its mother. She wondered who could be cruel enough to do something like that.

Jackie spotted the Doctor making his way back to the TARDIS, and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the side. "I need to have a word with you."

"What?" the Doctor said, looking somewhat scared. "You're not going to slap me again, are you?"

"Just listen, will ya?" she replied, and glanced toward Rose's room. "I know Rose has a lot of faith in you, but I need to know, you will find Sophie, won't you? Cause I can't stand seeing my daughter like this, and I want to meet my granddaughter."

The Doctor sighed sadly. "I'll do the best I can, Jackie. You have to understand, she could be anywhere. The only lead I have so far is that they've taken her to Earth so that she can be raised in the proper environment. Other than that, I have absolutely no clue where she is."

Jackie glared at him. "So you're telling me you've got absolutely no idea how to find your own daughter?"

"Pretty much," the Doctor replied, and there was a wetness in his eyes. "But I will be able to find her. That's why I have to leave now."

"What?" Rose's voice rang through the room, and they both looked to the left, to realize Rose had been standing there the whole time. "You're leaving?"

"Rose, how long have you been here?" the Doctor said, his eyebrows tightening quizzically.

"Long enough to know what's going on," she said. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

The Doctor looked down for a few seconds, then stepped towards Rose, and gently cupped her cheek. "I can't take you with me this time, Rose."

"What? No!" her eyes widened. "I have to come with you, I need to help you find Sophie."

"You just gave birth," the Doctor said, wiping away a tear on her cheek with his thumb. "You need to rest, and get your strength back up."

Rose slapped his hand away. "I feel fine, I just want my daughter back."

"And I'll get her back," the Doctor replied curtly, then he pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise you, I will find our daughter. But you need to stay here for this. You're still recovering."

Then he placed a kiss on the crown of her head, pulled away from their embrace, and left, followed by the sound of the TARDIS taking off.

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><p><strong>I always love reviews, the more, the merrier!<strong>


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Next chapter, ahoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>Sophie's eyes flew open.<p>

She was lying on her side, on cold, wet pavement. The air was icy, raising goosebumps on her flesh. A heavy, thudding heartbeat pounded in one side of her chest, and another, slightly weaker, heartbeat thumped on the other side. _Right, two hearts. _She remembered, thinking back to the time she had discovered her double heartbeat, at age six, and inquired about it. Those people had told her she wasn't exactly human, and when she asked why, they were silent.

She sat up, and looked around. She was in an alley, with weeds sprouting out from in between cracks in the pavement and flyers tumbling across the ground as the frigid wind blew through the area. The sky was full of pearly gray clouds. She exhaled, pushing a strand of brown hair out of her face. As she exhaled, pain exploded in her diaphragm. Wrapping her arms around her abdomen, she keeled over, her knees pressing painfully into the hard ground.

Sophie rolled up her shirt a little, revealing a large scar slashing across the expanse of her abdomen. She had gotten stabbed. Yes, she had remembered, somehow during her escape she had gotten stabbed in the stomach, and then there was that gold light. And then she woke up here.

She had been dying last night. Her injury was fatal, yet somehow, here she was, alive and injury healed. Well, sort of healed. But how? Her thoughts immediately went to her not exactly human characteristics, and right away she knew that must be it. Some sort of healing technique.

She stood up, wobbling a little. _I have to get out of here. _She thought, remembering why she had escaped from those dreadful people in the first place. As she exhaled, a puff of steam bloomed in front of her lips momentarily then evaporated. She started towards the end of the alley, where she could see a street and a sidewalk. For a moment she considered how odd it might look for a thirteen-year-old girl in a tattered school uniform to emerge from an alleyway in the middle of the day, but she pushed the thought away. Right now her only priority was getting away, to somewhere safe, somewhere where Madame Kovarian couldn't find her. A small part of her even hoped she could at least learn the identities of her parents, and maybe, if she somehow got really, _really _lucky, she could meet them someday. She chuckled at the thought, knowing how absurd it was to think she even had a remote chance of meeting her parents.

Sophie stepped onto the sidewalk, rubbing her upper arms in an attempt to warm her chilled skin. Keeping her eyes downturned, she started quickly down the sidewalk, her sneakers scuffing against the concrete. Suddenly she bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry about that," said the person she bumped into.

It was a man, tall and dark-haired. He looked somewhere in his late thirties, possibly in his early forties. He had dark brown eyes, and he wore glasses. He wore a large brown overcoat, and below the overcoat was a brown pin-striped suit. His shoes were a pair of white trainers.

"It's alright, should've been looking where I was going," she replied, smiling a little.

The man narrowed his eyes, looking somewhat puzzled. "Sorry, but have we met before? You seem familiar."

Sophie shrugged. "Probably just seen someone who looks like me. People tell me I have one of those faces."

"Oh, well then, never mind," the man said, smiling. "Allonsy!"

"'Scuse me?" Sophie said, cocking an eyebrow.

"It's French. It mean 'let's go', though I suppose it doesn't really fit the situation, considering that I'm going one way and you're going the other way," his voice faded a little. "By the way, your name wouldn't happen to be Alonso, would it?"

She shook her head slowly, amused by the strange man. "No. In fact, I'm pretty sure Alonso is a boy's name."

"Oh," the man said, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, anyway, see you round."

Sophie smiled. "You too."

And then the man was off, heading down the opposite way of the sidewalk, becoming smaller and smaller as he got farther away from her. Sophie watched as he kept on walking, and suddenly got the feeling that somewhere, at some time, she had met him too.

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><p><strong>Reviews are always loved!<strong>


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: **I'm back! Sorry for the super-long wait, I've been super, super busy. Anyway, this chapter's short, but I'll be posting the next one really soon.

**Disclaimer: **Someday I will own Doctor Who... But not today :(

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><p>Three days later, Rose heard the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS outside. It was on a cold, damp morning, with thick gray clouds hanging over London. She was sitting on the couch with a warm cup of tea, a blanket curled around her body, which was still sore from giving birth. The Doctor had had a point when he'd said she'd needed to recover, but it still didn't excuse his abandoning her while he went off to search for their daughter.<p>

The moment Rose heard the steady rise and fall of the TARDIS, she shot up from her seat, the cup of tea falling to the ground with a delicate clink, the hot liquid staining the rug. She didn't even notice. She immediately started running towards the door, completely ignoring how much it hurt to put such a strain on her body. Every muscle screamed out, her legs threatened to buckle with each hurried step, yet still she ran, shoving the door open. Immediately she caught a glimpse of the TARDIS below, and she was galvanized to run even faster, to run as fast as she could in hopes of seeing the Doctor and Sophie.

Rose sprinted to the TARDIS and stopped barely a few feet in front of it, chest heaving up and down as she caught her breath. Cheeks flushed and skin tingling with heat, she waited for the Doctor.

The TARDIS door swung open, and out stepped the Doctor.

With no Sophie.

The two locked eyes and stared at each other. The Doctor's face hung solemnly, the corners of his lips downturned, his eyes heavy.

"Did you find her?" Rose said, feeling the pain set in once more. "Did you find our baby?"

The Doctor just exhaled, and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could, burying his face in her hair. Rose felt his body shaking a little, as if he was holding back tears. The Doctor lowered his lips to her ear.

"I don't know where she is, Rose," he whispered, his voice heavy. "Wherever they hid her, I-I just don't know."

Rose's body went slack, and she felt a lump rise in her throat. "You didn't find her?"

"No," he replied, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

Cold, hard reality set in for Rose. There was a significant chance that she would never see her daughter again. With that thought, the pain grew.

"But we'll keep on looking, right?" she said, pressing herself closer against his warm body. "I just don't wanna miss out on all those things, ya know? All those birthdays, and her first words, things like that."

"I know, Rose," he replied. "I don't want to miss them either."

They stood like that for a while, making up for the time between them that was lost. Even in the cold, Rose didn't want to leave, she didn't even want to think about untangling herself from his embrace. Sure, it had only been three days for her, but even then it felt like forever, and for the Doctor she knew it must have been even longer. Who knew how long he had been out searching for Sophie?

"How long have you been searching for her?" Rose asked, finally pulling away from his embrace.

He raked his hand through his hair, exhaling. "Weeks, months. Why don't you come back to the TARDIS and I'll tell you everything?"

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><p><strong>What do you think? Reviews are always wonderful!<strong>


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter! I'm a little bit unsure about this chapter, but I did promise I'd update soon, and I plan on keeping that promise. So enjoy. Also, I made a mistake in the last chapter regarding how long the Doctor had been gone. **_He was supposed to have been gone for six weeks, not three days_**. It's not exactly crucial to the plot, it makes what happens in the next chapter make just a bit more sense.

**Disclaimer: **I can dream all I want, but the cold hard reality is that I in no way own Doctor Who.

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><p>Rose took slow steps, dragging her feet against the grated floor of the TARDIS. She gently ran her hand along the console, remembering the feel of each button and lever, even though she knew nothing about what they actually did or how they worked. All she knew was the feeling of being in the TARDIS. The machine seemed to give off an air of sympathy for her, a sort of ethereal sensation that expressed her sorrow for Rose's dilemna.<p>

"So how are you feeling?" the Doctor said without looking up from the console, pulling down a lever and pressing a button.

Rose shook her head slightly. "What-what do you mean?"

"I mean how do you feel after giving birth? How have you recovered?" he explained, looking up this time, his blank expression doing nothing to mask his obvious concern.

"Fine, I guess. Still sore and stuff like that, but I'm feeling better," she said with a nod and a tight smile.

"Good, good," the Doctor said. "If there's ever anything you need, anything you need, any medicine, I've got things you can use."

Rose just nodded, looking away. He was different now, obviously concerned for her well-being, yet at the same time distant and indifferent, like an actual medical doctor. There seemed to be a battle raging between the man of kissed her only a few days earlier and made love to her at least nine months before, and the careless man that left her stranded on 51st Century ships with evil robots while he went off to party with the French (something she still hadn't exactly forgiven him for). There was a tangible air of sadness to him. His shoulders slumped, his eyes downturned, even his hair seemed to lack it's usual bounce.

"So, what's the plan?" Rose asked, taking a step closer to him. "How are we going to find Sophie?"

That brought up another question- did the Doctor actually want to raise his daughter? She still remembered his warning, back when he had the blue eyes and the leather jacket, his warning that he didn't do domestics. And sure, after his regeneration, he'd happily sat down and had Christmas dinner with her family, he'd even braved Jackie's cooking. But still, that didn't confirm anything. Raising a child meant settling down, it meant less traveling, it meant changing nappies and cleaning bottles, it meant braving through hours of non-stop crying.

"I'm not sure yet," he answered, turning towards her. "I still have a few places where it's rumored they're keeping her, though to be honest I doubt she's there."

Rose swallowed a gulp and opened her mouth, stuttering for a few seconds. "Doctor, if we do find her, what'll we do then?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean who's gonna raise her, how this is all gonna work out," she said, the Doctor's dark gaze making her want to turn away. "You do want to raise her, don't you?"

Even though she didn't want to admit it, Rose herself wasn't sure if she wanted to raise a baby. She wanted Sophie back, she knew she did, but she also knew she would have to sacrifice the life of adventure and danger she had grown so fond of.

"Of course I do, what makes you think I don't?" he said quickly, raising his eyebrows. "I was a father before."

"I know, it's just... If we wanna raise her we can't be travelin' around, running from danger all the time," she said slowly, rubbing at an ache in the back of her neck.

"Rose, it's like I just said, I was a father once before, I know what's required of me if I want to raise Sophie," the Doctor took a step closer to her, then cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Are you sore?"

She nodded, pressing her lips together. "A bit, yeah."

"I can help you with that if you want."

"Could you, please?" Rose asked with a gentle laugh, silently marvelling at how quickly the subject of the conversation changed.

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><p>Rose laid down on her stomach, the side of her face pressed against a pillow. The Doctor's offer to rid of her of the pain in her neck with a massage was a bit surprising to her, but it was a pleasant surprise. It was a reminder of the brief intimacy that had been shared between them, a beacon of hope that perhaps he wanted to maintain this intimacy with her. It was really quite hard to tell what he wanted anymore, because while he said one thing, there was a good chance he meant the exact opposite.<p>

"Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable," he says quietly as he helps slip off her shirt, leaving her in only a bra and pants.

Of course, this really isn't anything to them, considering the fact that they've both seen each other naked before, they had sex with each other and they enjoyed it. But they didn't really acknowledge it afterwards.

"No, it's fine," she said, feeling his fingertips grazing over her back. "As long as it gets rid of that ache."

She heard him chuckle a little, a slow, solemn chuckle. Then she felt his strong hands gently grip her shoulders and rub his thumbs in slow circles. She let her eyes fall shut, yet her muscles remained tense. Part of her was pleased with the feeling of the Doctor's hands on her body, yet another part of her still told her this was dirty and wrong, that whatever his reason was for massaging her, it didn't necessarily reflect how truly intimate he wanted to be with her.

"That feels good," she moaned, his fingers applying gentle squeezes to her shoulders.

Though she couldn't see his face, she had a feeling he was smiling. "Weeellll, I have had over nine-thousand years to master it."

Rose laughed gently, letting herself slip further and further into the sleepy pleasure. She felt his hands slide down her back a bit, skimming over the straps of her bra, which were digging into her skin. The Doctor's fingertips rubbed soft circles into her skin, gradually kneading away each knot that had formed in her muscles. She felt herself drifting even more into a blissful euphoria, forgetting about Madame Kovarian, about the Flesh, about all those things that had plagued her mind for so many weeks. Yet still she did not forget about Sophie, she did not forget that less than six weeks ago she had given birth, and even though the medicines she had been given at the strange hospital had considerably speeded up her recovery, she still felt the effects of the delivery on her body. But more than anything, she felt a need to search for her daughter.

"Doctor," she said, drawing out each syllable slowly and luxuriously.

"Hmmm?" the Doctor replied, his own pleasure evident in his voice.

"It's not that this isn't nice, cause it is, but... Shouldn't we be looking for Sophie right now?" she asked, exhaling.

"Rose," he said quietly, a strain suddenly tugging at his voice. "I've spent months searching for her. I've exhausted myself. I want to find her as much as you. But I want to spend some time with you. Even just an hour or two. I missed you, Rose."

With that, she was at a loss of what to say. He sounded hurt, there was pain in his voice. His searching had aged him. He seemed more vulnerable, he was wounded. Rose realized how wounded he was.

"What are we?" she said suddenly, only realizing the question she'd asked after the words came tumbling out of her mouth.

The Doctor's hands stilled, the pads of his fingers resting on her lower back. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean what are we? Are we friends, are we a couple?" said Rose, now scared to look up and meet his gaze.

There was a long, heavy pause.

"Doctor?" she said, the sound of her thumping heart pounding in her ears.

She heard him sigh, then she felt his lips practically brushing against her ear, his warm breath against her skin. "Rose, the whole time we were apart, there were only two things I could think about- finding Sophie, and seeing you again. I regretted not taking you with me, even though I knew it was for the best."

She felt tears wet her eyes. "And?"

"Now you're here again, and I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am," the Doctor punctuated his sentence by pressing his lips against her neck, then further down, to her shoulder.

Rose shivered at the sensation, but she didn't object to the trail of kisses he layered across her back.

"You and I, Rose Tyler," he whispered, his nimble fingers undoing the clasp of her bra, "are most definitely a couple."

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><p><strong>So what do you think? I LOVE reviews!<strong>


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: **Whoo! New chapter! This one really kind of focuses on the emotional impact that having Sophie taken away has on the Doctor and Rose. Hope you like it.

**Disclaimer:** Does it really need saying?

**Warning: **There is some suggestive content in this chapter. There's not any explicit sex or anything like that, but it's still pretty suggestive.

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><p>Rose's eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking away the sensual haze of sleep. She was pressing her cheek against the Doctor's bare chest, his skin slightly cooler than the other men she'd been with. <em>Lower body temperature<em>, he'd told her. Whatever it was, it was nice. It provided a refreshing contrast to her sweat-lathered skin. She sighed, listening to the steady rhythm of his twin heartbeats.

"There you are," the Doctor said, pulling her closer to him and tenderly kissing her forehead. "You humans, you sleep so much."

They laid in bed together, both of them completely naked. Rose was curled against the Doctor's chest, her legs tangled with his, her hair fanning out gently around her head like a blonde halo. The Doctor had his arm wrapped around her, his fingers tracing circles on her knuckles, occasionally moving up to stroke her hair. Her head was tucked under his chin.

"We should have done this a long time ago," the Doctor murmured, wrapping his other arm around her to pull her even closer to him.

"What, sex? I'm pretty sure we've already done that before, Doctor," she said, laughing a little.

His hand stroked up and down her arm, rubbing circles around her shoulder. "Mm, yes, but not like this. It was never so... Intimate."

Rose had forgotten how wonderful sex was. Childbirth had made her repulsed of her own body, and during her travels with the Doctor sex wasn't exactly something that happened frequently, with the exception of that time at the beach, when the Doctor was still early on in his new body. This sex, however, had been different. It hadn't been needy and ravenous like last time. Rather, it was slow and tender, it consisted more of just touching each other, remembering the feel of each other's bodies, committing every nuance, every flavor, every texture to memory. The Doctor had been extra gentle, knowing she had given birth recently. He was careful to be gentle, asking her every so often if she was comfortable, making sure she enjoyed it as much as him.

Rose smiled, feeling the Doctor's fingers play along her spine.

"How do you feel?" the Doctor asked, sliding his hand up and down her waist.

"A bit sore," she said with a small chuckle, and when she noticed his concerned look, she added, "but good. Really, really good. But, I have a question though."

"What is it?"

Rose pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and bit her lip. "Exactly how Time Lord is Sophie?"

The Doctor sat up, propping himself up on his elbows. "Well, I can only make guesses, but I can say that what's probably most Time Lord about her is her brain. She'll be a genius when she gets older, I can promise you that."

"But what regeneration? Will she be able to do that?" Rose scooted close to the Doctor, aching to feel that closeness to him once more.

"Oh she'll definitely be able to regenerate, but it won't be as strong as my regenerations," he rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Hers will probably just repair the injuries without completely changing the way she looks. So she probably also won't have as many regenerations as I do."

Rose nodded, feeling a sudden urgency to get out of bed and search for her daughter. "We need to find her, Doctor."

She pushed herself up and threw the blanket off herself, the cool air causing goosebumps to pucker up on her naked body, when the Doctor grabbed her by the wrist.

"Doctor, what are you doing, we need to find her," she tried to tug herself away from his grasp, but his strong fingers tightened around the circumference of her wrist, the grip too strong for her too pull away yet gentle enough not to hurt her.

"Can we just... Can we just stay here a little while longer?" he said in a small, almost childlike voice, sounding like a lost little boy calling for his mummy.

The fear in his voice, the sheer vulnerability, Rose couldn't help but slowly settle back on the bed, slide towards the Doctor, and meet his wide, terrified gaze.

"What's wrong?" she said, chest shaking with the steady _thump-thump thump-thump _of her single heart, a painful reminder of her own mortality.

"I'm scared," he whispered, pulling her closer to him.

Rose gently cradled his head to the softness of her breast, stroking her hand through his hair, realizing how desperately he needed comfort. "Why?"

"I failed her," he murmured, his breath coming in pained shudders. "I failed my daughter, I failed as a father. It's my fault she's gone."

"No, don't say that," Rose warned, her thumb brushing over his temple. "You-you didn't know they'd switched her out. No one did."

"But I should've known," he murmured. "It was my job to know, I should've thought they would do something like that."

Her lips parted, but she said nothing, she knew it would be wrong to tell him that she did wish he had known, that deep down, there was still a burning resentment for him, for how he never considered they would've replaced Sophie with a flesh duplicate. A twisting pain burst in her chest, and Rose felt a wetness against her skin.

The Doctor was crying.

"I used to have children, before Sophie, and I failed them too," he said. "Because of me, they're all dead. I had a granddaughter, Susan. You would've liked her, she was such a sweet girl. She's gone, too. All because of me. And Sophie's gone, too."

"Don't talk like that," she felt his breath against her skin. "We'll find her, we just have to look harder."

Rose concealed her true shock at his admission, that his children and his granddaughter were dead because of him. She'd known his people were gone, and she'd known he'd had something to do with it- ever since Krop Tor when the Beast called him _The Killer of His Own Kind_.

"Here, I have something," she said, remembering what Lorna had given her.

She tossed the blanket off her body and climbed off the bed, picking up her jeans and digging through the pockets. She pulled out the prayer leaf, running her fingers across the soft, slightly crinkled fabric, and quickly got back on the bed.

"At Demon's Run, a girl gave this to me, she said it was Sophie's name in the language of her people," Rose said, handing the Doctor the prayer leaf. "They believe that it helps lost children get back to their parents. I know it's just a legend and all, but it's still kind of reassuring."

"Ah, yes, the people of the Gamma Forests, of course," the Doctor said, no trace of the crying man that'd she seen only seconds earlier left, replaced by the role of the scientist that the Doctor often took. "Isabella Mason."

"What?" the name, it was so familiar, Rose knew she had heard that name somewhere. "What'd you say?"

"Her name translates into Isabella Mason," the Doctor said, analyzing the piece of cloth.

Where had she heard that name? Heart thumping, muscles trembling, she scoured her mind, trying to remember where and when she'd heard that name, whose lips it'd been uttered from.

Then she remembered the little girl at the school, the one who seemed so mysteriously familiar.

She'd said her name was Isabella Mason.

Rose gasped. "Oh my God."

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><p><strong>Review! Review! Review!<strong>


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: **Okay, I know it's been a while and all, but I finally got this chapter finished. I'm not too big a fan of it, but I needed some sort of way for Sophie to meet her parents. I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **Does it need saying?

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><p>"What is it, Rose?" the Doctor said, grabbing her gently by her elbow.<p>

Rose's mouth hung agape, but she said nothing. She was still jarred by the shock of what she'd just heard. She'd met her daughter. She'd met Sophie, she knew where she was.

"Rose," the Doctor said again, this time gripping her by her shoulder and forcing her to look up at him.

"Doctor, when I was at the school, I met this girl, and I felt like I knew her, and I had no idea how, but she felt familiar," said Rose, her voice shaking. "And she said her name was Isabella Mason."

Sophie hurried along the pavement, now starting to regret not further thinking out her plan. Sure, she had escaped, but now it was a matter of making sure Madame Kovarian didn't capture her again. She needed to stay hidden, but she also needed things like food, clothes, and a warm bed. She glanced back, noticing two men in dark coats following her from a distance. Fear shot through her belly, and she sped up, trying to find somewhere she could be safe.

"So what are we gonna do?" Rose asked as she hurried with the Doctor to the console room, clumsily pulling on her sweater.

The Doctor sped to the console, flipping a few switches and pulling a lever. "We're going back to your time period, and we're going to search for any clues as to where she may be."

Rose felt her heart pumping wildly in her chest with excitement. She was still trapped in a whirlwind of emotions, trying to sort them out. The moment she'd told the Doctor about Sophie, he'd suddenly become a whirlwind of activity, yanking on his clothes and running towards the console room. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him so ecstatic.

"Where will we search first?" she asked.

"We're going to try and scan for her DNA," he replied, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned in a smile.

Rose couldn't help but smile at the thought of finding her daughter, and she gently touched the Doctor's arm.

"What is it, Rose?" he asked hurriedly.

"We're gonna find her, we're gonna find our daughter," Rose said quietly, her voice coming out sounding much smaller than she'd wanted it to. "That's good, yeah?"

The Doctor stared at her, his mouth slightly agape, as if he wanted to speak but didn't know what to say. Then the corners of his lips began to curl up until he was grinning broadly. "Oh, Rose, it's _brilliant_."

He pulled her into a tight hug, so tight she swore he was trying to merge them into one being. Rose felt her heart speed up in her chest and buried her face in the concave where his shoulder met his neck, feeling the soft fabric of his suit rub against her cheek.

Finally, he pulled away, and turned back to the console, flipping a few switches and turning a dial.

A loud beeping noise suddenly rang through the room, and the Doctor hurried to the screen on the console. He turned to Rose and smiled. "We've picked up a signal. She's close by."

Sophie ran as fast as her legs could carry her, panting heavily. Her lungs burned, her chest ached, her legs felt like they were about to collapse, yet still she pressed on. She would not let Madame Kovarian recapture her. She couldn't. She couldn't live like that anymore. She couldn't spend her whole life being trained to kill a man she'd never met, only heard about in stories, and even if he was as evil as the stories they told her, she would kill him by herself, not in the name of Madame Kovarian and her organization. She had even brought the weapons she needed to kill him with her, in case she did ever come across him.

She turned a corner, into an alleyway, when suddenly, the strangest and most beautiful sound she had ever heard filled the air.

It was a steady rise and fall, a strange combination of mechanical and yet somehow alive. The wind began to pick up, leaves swirled through the air, and something big and blue began to materialize in the alleyway. A light flashed on top of it, pulsing in time with the slow materialization of the box.

Finally, it stood in front of her, a big blue box.

She froze, unsure what to make of the situation. Never in her life had she seen anything even remotely like what she was gazing upon now. It didn't make sense, not one bit, but that made her even more curious as to how it worked, whose it was.

One of the doors swung open, and a man and a woman stepped out.

Immediately, Sophie recognized the woman as the lunchlady who'd spoken to her while she was still hiding at Deffry Vale. The pretty blonde woman, the one who was nicer than all the other lunchladies.

She recognized the man, too. He was the one who she'd bumped into in the street not too long ago.

"It's you," she said, her voice shaking.

She pointed a trembling finger at them, stumbling backwards slightly. "I've met you two, both of you. I-I-I... W-what is that... Thing?"

"We'll explain it to you, but you need to come with us," the man said, gesturing to the blue box. "We're here to help, we promise."

The blonde woman stepped forward, and she looked equally shocked. "What's your name?" her voice quivered, as if she couldn't believe that the moment was real.

"Isabella, Isabella Mason," she said automatically, using the name she'd been given to hide her true identity.

The woman shook her head. "No, that's... That's not it, your real name. The one... The one your parents gave you."

Sophie heard a small sob escape from the woman when she said the word _parents_. "It's Sophie Tyler."

"S-Sophie Tyler?" the woman said, inhaling sharply. "Listen, we can help you, but you need to come with us."

"But that thing, it's tiny, and I don't even know you people," she stuttered, shaking her head. "I have no idea who you are, how can I trust you?"

"Just please, we don't have a lot of time," the woman said. "We'll tell you everything."

Sophie heard footsteps rapidly approaching, and she glanced back, knowing that if she didn't do something soon she'd be captured once more. She took a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay, I'll come with you."

Then she followed them into the blue box.

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><p><strong>So? What do you think? I love reviews! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.<strong>


	22. Chapter 21: Author's Note

**AN: **Hello. Yes, it's me, the author. I'm back to let you all know that I'm not dead, I'm very much alive, and plan on continuing the story. I stopped writing after a while because I didn't like the way it was written, but coming back after so long and looking at it, and thinking about how much I hate it when one of my own favorite authors abandons a story, I'm going to finish it. Updates might take a while, I've been really busy lately and I've got several other stories I'm working on, but I can promise that I will work on it and I hope that you all enjoy the chapters to come.


	23. Chapter 22

**AN: **Alright, here's the next chapter. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, because it was interesting to explore the way Rose was affected by everything that she went through and how she would react to seeing her daughter again. I always found it hard to believe that Amy emerged from Demon's Run completely unscathed. There's a lot of emotional hurt/comfort in this chapter for Rose, and really, this is as much a story about the Doctor and Rose healing from their experience as it is about them getting their daughter back. I hope you enjoy.

**Warnings: **Rose's panic attack may be triggering for anyone who suffers from an anxiety disorder. Just a heads up.

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><p>As Sophie took trembling steps into the TARDIS, brown eyes wide and darting all around the console room, Rose couldn't take her eyes off of her. She looked just like the Doctor. Watching every movement of her fawn-like body, so much like the Doctor's, was surreal, and more than anything else, rather than a sudden rush of love or affection, she felt numb.<p>

This was her daughter. Her teenage daughter. She had missed out on fourteen years of her daughter's life. She didn't see the little girl that'd been torn mercilessly from her arms. All she saw was a stranger, a wide-eyed, terrified stranger. More than anything else she felt an incorrigible guilt for not immediately loving her, as if somehow she was not a true mother for being struck dumb by this girl who was supposedly her child. It crushed her lungs like a steamroller and made her dizzy. She felt sick, almost wanted to be sick, just so that she could have an excuse to dismiss herself from the situation. Suddenly she hated herself more than anything else, and never had she felt a claustrophobia like this before, where her skin felt like a prison and her bones the wardens.

Then she realized that she was crying. Delicate little tears speckling her cheeks, hardening into a residue that wore tight against her skin and made it flushed and itchy. It all came back to her now, waking up in that horrible room, Madame Kovarian standing over her, screaming for the Doctor as she experienced a pain she had never felt before. She was there, reliving it, reliving the last glance she spared Sophie as Madame Kovarian took her from her arms, the moment she collapsed into Flesh as she clung to her in hopes of soothing her tears.

"Why are you crying?" said Sophie.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn't come, and she pressed her hands to her mouth, suddenly unable to look at her daughter any longer. Turning away she, quickly felt the Doctor's hands on her shoulders, then he gathered her into his arms and cradled her against his chest, whispering gentle words of comfort to her and kissing her head.

"I can't do it, I can't do it," she sobbed, shaking in his arms. "I don't love her, Doctor. There's something wrong with me-"

"Rose, Rose, listen to me," he whispered, untangling her from his arms to cup her cheeks. "You went through something extremely traumatic. You had your child taken from you. Twice. And now she's standing right in front of you, and she's fourteen years old. You're going through shock. In fact, what you might be experiencing could be Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

She nodded, pressing herself into his chest and tucking her head under his chin. "But... When I look at her I don't... I don't feel anything. Everything's sort of numb."

"That's normal," he said, cradling her head. "Your brain is trying to process all these different things you're feeling. But you do love her. I can assure you that you do."

"But-"

"Shhh, it's alright, it's okay," he lulled, stroking her hair. "You're being too hard on yourself. Rose Tyler, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and I know that you are a brilliant mum."

Rose pulled away, wiping at her tears and forcing a limp smile. She looked back at Sophie, who now looked less afraid and more confused, and perhaps a slight bit angry, with her brow furrowed and her lips set tight.

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on, or am I just going to be left her in a dumbfounded stupor while you two cuddle?" snapped Sophie, crossing her arms.

The Doctor cleared his throat, shuffling awkwardly. "Yes, right. I'm the Doctor and this is Rose, and we're your parents."

Sophie was quiet and gaping, as was Rose, who was wondering what could possess the Doctor to reveal something so shocking so bluntly and informally, like he was telling her how much she weighed or what school she was going to. Then again, she realized, the Doctor wasn't exactly one for tact.

"Okay, wait what?" said Sophie, backing away slightly. "What's going on, what is this place, why is it bigger on the inside, why is she crying, why are you saying that you're my parents-"

"We'll explain everything, just be patient," he said, taking Rose's hand and squeezing it. "This is as shocking for you as it is for us. Some more than others, in fact."

Rose tried to focus, but her thoughts felt sharp and frayed, like her brain was full of radio static. There was something dream-like about the situation, something bizarre and disconnected. The Doctor's and Sophie's voices sounded distant and blurred, like she was underwater. She was barely aware of what she was doing until she realized that she was now standing in front of Sophie, and she didn't even know how she got there in the first place.

"It's you," she said in a small, childlike voice. "It's really you."

Sophie didn't say anything, just sort of stared at her, unsure how to comprehend the situation. Then Rose enveloped her in a tight hug, pulling her as close to her as she could and cupping her head. Her sobs became stronger the longer she held her. At first, Sophie remained limp in her arms, but then she tentatively reciprocated the hug, even if it was somewhat forced.

"My baby," whimpered Rose, burying herself in her daughter's arms. "My sweet baby. I'm so sorry they took you. I'm sorry I failed you."

Sophie patted her back awkwardly, still somewhat stiff in her arms. "It's... It's okay," she pulled away from Rose, but still kept her hands on her arms in a comforting gesture.

"So... You're my mom?"

Rose found herself unable to do anything but nod.

"But my parents gave me away," she said, her voice gentle, like she was talking to a scared child. "They had been planning to before I was even conceived, they weren't even married. They were just having me for the sake of the experiment."

Rose felt her heart speed up, but not in the way that felt like a weight had been lifted off of her, but rather as if it was going to rip itself out of her chest. The room felt like it was spinning, her skin was suffocating and her fingers were tingling. Her throat was closing up, her face felt hot and swollen, everything was rushing forward too fast and all she knew that something very, very bad was going to happen.

"No, no, no," she sobbed, collapsing to the ground and clutching the rail with a sweaty hand.

The Doctor was at her side quickly, sliding his arm around her and guiding her back to her feet. "Shhh, it's okay, just come with me, everything's going to be fine."

He took her to the library, setting her down on the couch and holding her against him, while she shook violently, clutching at him like she was struggling to stay above water. She choked on each gasp of air, every heaving gasp causing a sharp pain in her chest and throat. All she wanted to do was wrap herself up in a blanket and fall asleep, and when she woke up she wanted to see the Doctor standing at her bedside with the infant version of Sophie.

She simultaneously hated and loved this girl that was her daughter, this stranger who had no idea who she was, this beautiful little girl who had been torn from her arms and raised to be a weapon, this person who existed, who seemed like the slightest wrong move would snuff her out.

"Deep breaths," soothed the Doctor. "You need to breathe, or else you're going to pass out."

She tried breathing in, but it just turned into a choked sob, and she keeled over, only for the Doctor to pull her back up.

"Rose, you're having a panic attack," he said, cupping her cheek. "You're going to be okay, you just need to breathe."

She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, over and over again, until a gentle calmness began to wash over her, like waves lapping against the shore, and she found herself lying limp in the Doctor's arms, tears drying upon her cheeks. The Doctor was stroking her, whispering sweet nothings to her, and something about his voice sounded choked, like he too was having his own breakdown, but for her sake, he was keeping it buried deep down inside, where it could fester, like an illness.

"I'm just so scared, and I don't even know why," she whimpered, unconsciously digging her nails into the fabric of his suit, like she was hanging on to the very threads of life. "I can't even hold myself together in front of my own daughter."

"Rose, I don't think you understand the effect everything that you went through had on you," he said. "You were kidnapped, forced to give birth, and you had your own child taken away from you in less than an hour. No person should come out of that completely unscathed. You've been traumatized."

She said nothing, just nodded, biting her lip, and burying herself against him. She felt incredibly small and incredibly weak, not just mentally, but physically too. Every inch of her body felt like it had been drained of strength, leaving her muscles brittle, her lungs deflated, and her heart sluggish. Suddenly she had an intense desire to fall asleep, to escape the current situation and just be lifted away into sweet nothingness. She sighed, shivering as she suddenly realized how cold she was.

"Doctor, I-I'm cold," she said in a small voice. "An' I-I-I'm tired."

The Doctor shifted to get up, gently resting her head down on the pliant cushions. "I'll get you a blanket."

She curled up into a ball, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. The pain in her chest subsided, and she could feel herself rapidly drifting away into unconsciousness. Then she felt the Doctor putting a blanket over her, tucking it in to keep her warm, and pressing a kiss to her head.

"I'm going to go check on Sophie," he said in a soft voice. "Do you think you'll be alright by yourself?"

She nodded, not even bothering to open her eyes. She was already in too deep. The last thing she heard was the Doctor's fading footsteps before she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>So, what do you think? Leave a comment and let me know.<p> 


	24. Chapter 23

**AN: **Alright, this chapter was really difficult to write, because I had to take into account how to make Sophie's reaction believable as well as with what Rose does in this chapter. I should state upfront that this story is really meant to be more focused on the emotional impact of what happens to the Doctor and Rose rather than how they get their daughter back. It's very much a hurt/comfort fic. Also, I would love to hear what you think of Sophie.

**Warnings: **None really at the moment.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

* * *

><p>The Doctor watched as Rose's breathing began to slow down and her whole body relaxed, then he pressed a kiss to her head and quietly padded out of the library. He did not, however, go to see Sophie.<p>

He couldn't. For some reason, he couldn't imagine himself going out there and speaking to her. He saw so much of himself in her, and so much of Rose, too, that even just looking at her was like looking at a scarred, twisted version of himself.

He stood outside the library and slid to the ground, rubbing his hands into his face as he took in the enormity of the situation. He'd known that Rose would be affected by what she went through, but he had no idea it would be so prominent. He wanted more than anything else to help her heal, to help her get through this so that she could come to love her daughter, even if this was not the daughter she knew.

But that was the other problem. He too found himself numb whenever he looked at Sophie, he didn't feel the same urge to protect her and guide her when he first held her in his arms. He was scared by this lack of affection he felt for her, even though he knew that it was normal. Was it? How many people had had their children taken away from them then met the fourteen-year-old versions of them? In truth, he had no idea what he should be feeling right now.

Sighing, he got up and walked to the console room, where Sophie was gently fingering some of the dials and knobs on the console, her eyes downturned and her expression not grim, but rather... Intrigued. He smiled inwardly. She most definitely was his daughter.

"Oh, you're here," she said, looking up. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Yes, sorry, I just had to calm her down a bit," he said, strolling towards her.

She inhaled as if she were angry at him and crossed her arms. "What's wrong with her? Why is she like that?"

"She went through a lot," said the Doctor, looking away. "She was kidnapped, forced to give birth, then she had her child taken from her less than an hour after she was born."

Sophie nodded slowly. "Right... And this child is me?"

He nodded.

She looked away, pressing her lips together and running her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry, this is just a lot to take in."

"It's fine," he replied. "You just need some time."

"How do I know that you're truly my parents?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in a manner that made him feel impossibly tiny.

"Well, um," he scratched the back of his neck, unsure now how to reply. "You have two hearts, so do I. You're half Time Lord, which means you can also regenerate whenever you're injured. So can I, the difference is that I get a whole new body, while your regeneration simply repairs whatever's wrong with you."

Sophie was quiet for a long time. "Okay, that doesn't really prove that you're my dad, but that does make sense. So what about Ro- I mean, what about my 'mom', is she human?"

"Yes," he said. "That's the reason you were kidnapped, for your DNA. They thought they could make a weapon out of you."

"Yeah, that much I figured out, it's just," her eyes were wet with tears, and she looked away. "It's kind of shocking, you know, to find out that you were stolen from your parents. I mean, I wouldn't put it past them to do something like that, but now knowing, honestly, I feel guilty."

He felt a pang in his hearts at her words. "You shouldn't, what happened to you wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, I know," she said, wiping away a tear. "Well, I don't totally believe you, but I also don't really believe what they told me, either. I never really did. But, honestly right now I could really use some tea."

He smiled, feeling a sudden lightness in his bones, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Come on to the kitchen, we can get some there."

* * *

><p>"Here you go," he said, setting down a small cup Earl Grey in front of Sophie. "With milk and everything."<p>

"Thanks," she said quietly, wrapping her delicate hands around the porcelain and lifting it to her lips. She took a long sip, then put it down. "Don't think that just because I'm so calm I believe you. It's just how I react to things. It's better than completely breaking down."

"Smart girl," he said with a twitch of his lips, taking a sip of his own tea.

"So, what exactly is a Time Lord?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, the Time Lords were a great race, a lot like the humans, but different in many ways, too," he began, gazing at the floor wistfully. "They weren't too pleasant altogether, a bunch of pompous, stuffy, bureaucratic oligarchs, but they were wonderful, nonetheless. They were extremely advanced, and as a result, they sort of thought of themselves as a superior race."

"You refer to them in past tense," she said slowly, her eyebrows knitted close together and her eyes narrowed in concentration. "What happened to them?"

"There was a war," his voice turned dense and grim. "And they died. All of them."

She nodded, looking away with her lips slightly parted. He could feel the inner machinations of her mind, whirring away as she processed the information. She was smart for her age, he could tell. Precocious, too. She didn't sound like a fourteen-year-old. He could see so much of Rose in her. The way she knotted her eyebrows, or wrinkled her nose, not to mention her curiosity. She definitely had most of his features, but he knew that nonetheless she was just as much like her mother as she was like him.

"So that makes us the last, then?"

"Yep."

"Wow, heh," she said with a hapless chuckle. "That's... That's a lot to take in."

His lips set in a grim line, and he took another sip of his tea. This wasn't how he'd expected his reunion with his daughter to go. Not that he'd expected it to be a tearful melodrama like on those reality TV shows Jackie left on the TV, or idyllic and full of love and happiness, but he had expected something different than this. He could see it in her eyes, she was introspective. She didn't have his gregarious, talkative nature, but rather a tendency toward quietness and inner thought. She was different than he'd expected. Then again, he still barely knew her, but nonetheless she didn't seem like his daughter. He started to understand the terror that Rose had felt in the console room.

"How exactly is this thing bigger on the inside?" she asked, a warm smile returning to her lips.

"First of all, she's not an it, she's a 'she'," he said, returning the smile. "And second, the reason that she's bigger on the inside is because the outside and the inside exist in two different dimensions."

"Oh," she said. "Wait, so why is she a she?"

"She's sentient," he said. "We share a telepathic bond. She talks to me, not with words, but rather images and feelings."

"What about with me, then? Because the moment I walked in here, I felt like someone was... I don't know, it was sort of like someone was cuddling me, but not physically. Like she was cuddling my mind."

"She must be mothering you," he said, sparing a glance up at the ceiling. "She's like that with Rose, too."

He felt the TARDIS shimmer with pride inside his head, and he couldn't help but smile. At least one of them was feeling that parental bond that was so often spoken of.

* * *

><p>Rose stirred gently, mumbling something incoherent and sluggishly fluttering her eyelids open. At first, everything was sort of dark and foggy, but then as she blinked a few times, the details became sharper and more focused. It was dark, full of strange shapes and thick black shadows. She sat up, feeling a blanket slide off of her. Her bones felt heavy and soggy, like wet towels, and her it felt like there was someone hammering away inside her skull.<p>

A cold frisson of terror zinged through her spine as she realized that she didn't remember what had happened before she went to sleep, nor did she know where she was. Tears stung her eyes in hot pinpricks, then she felt a soothing presence in the back of her mind, something gentle and coaxing, like a hug. At first the presence was an unwelcome penetration in her sleep-addled brain, but then it occurred to her that it was the TARDIS, and she relaxed.

She laid back down on the couch, and tried to remember what had happened before she went to sleep. She knew that Sophie was on board, but she only remembered her walking in. After that, everything went blank. It was like someone had plucked out her memories, leaving empty spaces in their place. Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and she fisted a hand in her hair and pulled, not for any particular reason; she just felt an urge to do it. It brought her back to her days with Jimmy Stone, when they were living in that squalid apartment, barely scraping by on the money he made from his band. She'd cut herself a few times, then. The only person who'd ever found out about it was Jimmy, and he just hit her again because of it.

The sudden memories of her time with Jimmy forced a sob up her throat, and she buried herself within the blanket, pressing her face into the cushion to muffle the sounds of her tears. Once again, she felt the TARDIS cooing inside her head, reaching out and gentling her like a concerned mother. When Rose finally stopped crying, she stood up and walked around in the darkness, fumbling around until she finally found the light switch. She flipped it, revealing that she was in the library.

She shuffled into the hall, slouched with dejection, until she reached her room. It was left in a state of disarray, magazines and stuffed animals left on the floor, her pink duvet was lying crooked, half on her bed and half on the floor. She couldn't remember the last time she cleaned it.

Rose went into the bathroom and undressed, then turned on the shower and stepped in. The water was hot, too hot, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It seemed to singe off an entire layer of her skin, leaving it sensitive to the touch and an alarming shade of pink. She didn't care, in fact, she enjoyed it. She scratched at herself until little red pinpricks emerged on her skin, like tiny bruises. Combined with the hot water, they stung horrifically. Finally, she stepped out, water dribbling onto the floor, and wrapped a towel around herself.

The air of the bathroom was unusually cold, and she found herself shivering. She grabbed a comb and quickly ran it through her hair, then hurried into her room.

Her room had been left in a state of disarray. She'd been meaning to clean it up, really, but things had gotten in the way and she'd forgotten to. Her hot-pink duvet hung lopsided off of her bed, her stuffed animals (which she'd never been able to part with, despite the fact that they were silly and childish) were scattered across the floor, along with fashion magazines, odd little trinkets she'd picked up at alien markets, and photographs she'd taken with the Doctor in their various outings (she'd meant to frame them, really, she had). She maneuvered around the clutter and dressed herself in a soft, long-sleeved shirt in a pale shade of pink that made her otherwise pasty skin seem to glow, a pair of loose grey sweat pants, and a pair of socks.

Unsure what to do, Rose took a seat on her bed. Staring at herself in the mirror, she did not see the same twenty-year-old girl. She saw someone much, much older, whose struggles had been etched into her skin like scars, telling her story in their own esoteric language. Her skin was pale and dull, as was her hair, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She knew she would look better if she put on makeup, but for some reason she didn't want to. She didn't have the energy.


	25. Chapter 24

**AN: **Here's the next chapter. More angst and emotional h/c. We're going to learn a bit more about Sophie in the next one. Tell me what you think.

**Disclaimer: **Why would I be here if I owned this shit?

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><p>Sophie sipped from her tea, her eyes remaining steady the man who claimed to be her father. In truth, the news hadn't really set in yet. She understood what he said, but her reaction was not one of panic or shock, though she experienced both those things to a certain degree, but rather of quiet acceptance, like a bad cold that you had to sit through and wait until it was gone. Her entire life, she had been raised to accept the things she was told. Or, alternatively, not told. They told her she had two hearts, but they didn't tell her why. They told her she was extremely important, but not why. They told her her parents gave her up for a good cause, but they did not tell her what the cause was. And somehow, she became a friend to change, adapting easily to whatever life threw at her. She was raised to be a soldier, to follow orders without question, and that had bled into not just her training, but also her personal life.<p>

The Doctor, who she still wasn't ready to call her father, was staring at the wall, and he looked enormously uncomfortable, like he wanted to talk but he had no idea what to say. She did like him well enough. He seemed nice, even if he was a bit... Off. It was the woman, Rose, she was curious about. My mother, she mused, supposedly. She had to admit, she could see the physical similarities. She just wished that she knew her better. She felt sorry for her, after witnessing her panic attack from earlier.

"How old are you?" she said suddenly, setting her tea down.

The Doctor cocked his head and curled his lip. "Eh, somewhere around 900-years, give or take."

"And my mom?"

"Twenty," he said in a slightly lower voice, as if he was embarrassed. "But age, it's just a number and all that jazz."

"That's still quite an age difference," she remarked, raising an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to speak once more, but this time someone else spoke before she could.

"Hello," came a trembling female voice from behind her.

She turned around, and saw Rose standing in the doorway, her sleeves bunched over her hands and her face red and swollen from crying. There was something childlike and vulnerable about the way she stood there, shoulders hunched and chin turned down, her arms wrapped around her own waist like she was trying to protect herself.

The Doctor stood up and hurried to her, cupping her face and looking her in the eyes. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, 'm fine," then she turned toward Sophie and smiled weakly. "Hi. Sorry about earlier."

"No, no, it's fine," said Sophie. "Have a seat."

Rose grabbed a chair from nearby and scooted it into the table. She kept her arms close to her chest, as if she was scared that someone was going to hurt her.

"Alright, now that we're all together, we need to know some things first," said the Doctor. "Who exactly was it that was keeping you?"

Sophie bit her lip, unsure what to say. She still hadn't decided whether or not she trusted these people. Then again, she had run away from Madame Kovarian, so it wasn't like she would be betraying her by telling them who she was. She was free now. And seeing that these people had rescued her, they were probably the only people she could trust at the moment.

"They were called the Silence," she said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "They're some sort of religious order."

"Did they tell you why they were keeping you?"

"No, well, not exactly," she said. "I knew they wanted to turn me into an assassin of some sort, but they never told me who exactly I was supposed to kill."

The Doctor glanced to Rose and pressed his lips together. "Well, I have no doubt that they'll be after you. Not that we can't shake them off using the TARDIS."

"I don't think you understand," she said. "They're time travelers, too. They have technology you can't even imagine."

"I'm pretty sure I have a fairly good idea of what kind of technology they were using," said the Doctor, tapping on his temple. "Remember, Time Lord."

She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it. He was a bit arrogant. In truth, she had no idea if they would found her. She knew they would look for her, but obviously if she had managed to escape their clutches, they weren't nearly as powerful as they liked to believe. Still, she knew they would try with everything they could to find her. But were these people any more trustworthy? They may have saved her, but nonetheless she barely knew them, and already they were claiming to be her parents. More and more everything she'd thought was true, every concrete reality and solid fact, was being unwound. Her life was not the one she had been led to believe. She wouldn't put it past the Silence to lie about her parents, but her innate sense of foresight told her that she should treat these people with the same amount of caution that she treated her now past captors.

"I'm going to go find out more about the Silence," said the Doctor, standing up. "How about you two get to know each other a little bit?"

Sophie turned to look at Rose, who was chewing on her lip and glancing at her from out of the corner of her eye.

"So," said Sophie, realizing quickly that Rose was not going to initiate the conversation herself. "You're my mum?"

Rose bit at the tip of her thumb, then looked away. "Yeah," a sweet smile crept upon her lips. "God, you look just like him," she reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then laughed shyly. "Sorry, 's just instinct, I guess."

"It's fine," said Sophie. "It's not like I've ever really had a mother. No one to do that for me."

Rose nodded. "Tell me about yourself. What sort of things are you into?"

"Oh, that's actually kind of a tough question," she said with a laugh, finding it hard to look her in the eyes, which, despite her smile, seemed sad and broken. "My entire life has pretty much been learning to fight. I mean, I did have some free time. I like to read."

"Whaddaya like to read?"

She shrugged. "Anything, really. I'm a particular fan of the works of Italo Calvino, Umberto Eco, people like that. What about you?"

"I like a good romance," said Rose. "Jane Austen, stuff like that. Silly things."

"I don't think they're silly," she said.

Rose was quiet for a while, and Sophie couldn't help but notice the haunting quality of her eyes, the sadness, like she was constantly on the verge of tears.

"Could I- would you mind if I did your hair?" asked Rose, sounding more like a child asking for a treat than a mother getting to know her daughter.

Sophie hadn't even stopped to think once about how her hair looked. It was the first time since her escape that it had occurred to her that she probably looked more like a grimy street urchin than a fourteen-year-old girl.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Rose gently ran a brush through Sophie's hair, tugging gently to work out any tangles that had formed. I'm being a mother, she told herself. I can do this. Inside, her heart was in a state of panic, pounding wildly against her ribcage and pulling at its restraints, as if it wanted to break out of her chest. Her breath was caught in her throat like a piece of food refusing to dislodge itself, and her hands were trembling violently. Still, she refused to break down once more in front of her daughter.<p>

"So where exactly are you from?" asked Sophie.

"London," she replied quickly, hoping her voice didn't shake too much. "Grew up on an estate with my mum. My dad died when I was little."

"I'm sorry."

"No, d-don't be," she said with a watery smile. "It was a long time ago. What about you, what was your life like?"

Sophie was quiet for a second, staring into her reflection as if she was expecting an answer from it. "I was always moving, even when I was little. To all these different bases and planets, and I was always training. They wanted to make a soldier out of me."

"Were there ever any boys?"

"No," she said with an embarrassed laugh.

Rose paused while she considered her next question. "Any girls?"

"No," Sophie laughed even more this time, but it was a good-hearted laugh, with her cheeks flushed and her lips spread in a smile. "Never any time for that sort of stuff. It was all work, all the time," then she turned around and looked straight at Rose. "How did you and the Doctor meet?"

It pained Rose slightly, the way she said the Doctor instead of "Dad". Was she simply "Rose" to her? Not Mum? Just some strange, hysterical woman doing her hair, acting like a mother that she'd never had. What if it was all a facade, just a way to gain their trust until she too ran away from them, and into the arms of who? Back to the Silence? Rose swallowed a nervous gulp.

"Well, it's kind of a funny story," she said. "I was working in a shop, and I was all alone and these mannequins came to life. They were about to hurt me, when all of a sudden he took my hand and told me to run. And then after that, he asked me to travel with him."  
>"Just like that?"<p>

She cocked her head. "Well, there was a little bit that went on in between. We helped stopped the end of the world and stuff like that," finally finished brushing out her knotted hair, she set the brush down and crossed her arms. "Do you want it curled or straight?"

"Curled sounds good," she said perfunctorily, smiling a tight smile.

Rose smiled back, but it too was tight, like strings were pulling on it, and an unwary silence pressed down on them as she began to wind thick locks of brown hair around the iron. Neither of them seemed to know what to say, and they both took it as a sign that the other didn't want to speak, when in reality, both of them did. However, every word that came out of their mouths felt forced. Rose had no idea how she was supposed to act around her daughter, this strange girl who already sounded so much smarter than her. For a brief moment, she felt the same crushing inferiority she felt when the Doctor nearly left her for Reinette, coupled with the guilt that she was becoming jealous of her own child. You're not a real mother, hissed a voice in the back of her head, and you never will be.

Rose shifted the iron slightly, and accidentally touched it to Sophie's scalp.

"Ow!" she cried out, jumping away with her fingers ever-so-lightly pressed against the spot on her head.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," squeaked Rose, feeling a cold paralysis settle in her limbs.

Now she couldn't control the tears that had been building up in her eyes, they dripped freely down her cheeks, rubbing away at her corneas and leaving them red and hot. She wiped away at them, but still they came, and she felt tremors begin to take hold of her body.

"It's fine," assured Sophie. "Really, I'm okay."

Rose nodded, but still, she could not shake away the guilt gnawing inside of her, festering and growing, like a disease, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before it completely consumed her.

* * *

><p>After a while, the Doctor came and found Rose and Sophie, and invited them into the kitchen for dinner. He prepared a simple pasta dish with olive oil and red pepper, along with a baguette and some salad. The meal's conversations were stiff and one-sided, consisting mostly of the Doctor firing away questions at Sophie, who would give vague and nonsensical answers, while Rose did little but toy half-heartedly with her food, barely taking more than a few bites. The Doctor noticed this, of course, but said nothing.<p>

It worried him, seeing Rose like this. It was as if the Rose he knew had been replaced with some sort of stranger. It made him hate the Silence and what they did to her. They hurt her in such a way that she seemed like no more than a ghost, floating through life with no purpose or emotion. He wanted to see her happy once more, he wanted her to heal.

And then there was Sophie. He had no idea what they'd done to Sophie. They could've experimented on her, like they did when she was an infant, abused her, brainwashed her. She acted like a well-adjusted child for her age, intelligent and mature, but deep down he could see that something else was going on. Every time he spoke with her, he got the feeling that her pleasant demeanor, her introspectiveness and her utter calmness, were all just an act, facilitated by a need for somewhere safe to stay. She was hiding something, but he didn't know what. Part of him was afraid that he didn't want to.

After dinner, Sophie commented that she was ready to go to sleep, and the TARDIS immediately created a bedroom for her, which she disappeared into with a perfunctory good night. The Doctor then turned to Rose, who was in the process of slinking away into her bedroom, before he caught her.

"How about you come sleep with me?" he offered, his voice gentle.

It took a moment for her to speak. "I thought you didn't sleep," she said with a humorless laugh.

"Oh I do," he said. "Just not as much as you lot."

"You sure I won't bother you?"

"Rose Tyler, when have you ever bothered me?" he said in a teasingly deprecating tone, flashing her a grin and extending his hand. "Come with me."  
>He led her to his room, revealing a mess even more catastrophic than the one in hers. Everywhere, gears and strange devices littered the floor, along with a plethora of books, the kind of books with thick, unadorned covers and spines that were cracked and powdery. Even his bed was not immune to the mess, a large jumble of trinkets and gadgets dotting it.<p>

"You'll have to excuse the mess," he said, dodging around various instruments.

"'s fine," she replied in a voice that was nearly a whisper.

His hearts tightened in his chest at her words. Normally, he'd expect some sort of teasing remark, some sort of good-hearted jab at his ego, at which he would reply with one of his own. But not now. Now she was worryingly passive, barely eliciting any sort of autonomy. She had become submissive, compliant, not the strong, stubborn Rose he knew and loved. He loved this Rose just as much, and he would always love her, but he wanted the old Rose back, the happy Rose.

"The TARDIS probably has a pair of jim-jams laying around for you somewhere-ah, here you go!" he picked up a soft set of pajamas, with a long-sleeved, button-down shirt and loose pants.

Rose took them without saying a word, and dutifully put them on, not voicing any sort of protest against changing in the same room as him. He knew they'd seen each other naked before, but still.

They brushed their teeth together, disposed of the junk on his bed, and laid down. The Doctor curled up with Rose, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting his body melt into the curves of hers. Despite the fact that her back was turned to him, he knew that she was not sleeping.

"Rose, you still awake?" he inquired.

She shifted slightly. "Y-yeah," she mumbled. "Just having a bit of a hard time goin' to sleep, 's all."

"Is something bothering you?" he asked in a slightly darker tone.

For a few seconds, Rose didn't reply, then she turned around so that she was facing him, her eyes large and wet. "I'm just... I can't get it out of my head that I'm a bad mum. Every time I look at her, I think that I've failed her. I just want to hurt myself, cause I just hate it so much. I feel like she deserves better, but instead all she got was boring old me. I couldn't even protect her when she was a little baby."

"Rose, you had no choice but to give her up," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face then cupping her cheek. "And you've barely had any time to get to know her. You're being too hard on yourself."

"But it's true," she whimpered, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Whenever we talk to each other, it always feels forced. No matter what I do, I can't get through to her. I just... I wish she was still an infant."

"I know, Rose-"

"But it's wrong!" she cried, burying her face against his chest. "It's wrong because she's here now, and she's alive and I should be grateful, but I'm not, I'm just wishing for something else."

"You think I don't wish we could have found her when she was an infant?" he said gently, cradling her head and stroking her hair. "Rose, every minute I'm with her, all I see is that little girl I held in my arms at Demon's Run. And it kills me, because no matter how many times I wish I could rock her to sleep, or read her a story, or watch her take her first steps, I know that I can't. But that doesn't mean that we're bad parents. It's natural."

She nodded, but said nothing, clinging to him like a small child, her lips trembling and her face wet with tears. He held her close, as if she needed protection, which really, she did. She had been violated, she had been abused, and now she was scared. She had been broken by these people, and he needed to help her put her pieces back together. She had healed him when he was shattered by the Time War. Now he was going to heal her.


	26. Chapter 25

**AN: **This chapter was done a bit hastily. I've been really busy with a bunch of other projects, plus school, so it's been hard to update, but don't worry, this story will continue.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

* * *

><p>Sophie padded softly through the hall, periodically checking behind her to see if anyone was behind her, but all she saw was thick, hungry darkness. She had no idea where her "parents" were, and she didn't care to find out. She hoped that they were fast asleep, and far away, so that they wouldn't hear the sounds of her muffled footsteps. She really had no idea what she was doing; she had no idea if this was an attempt to escape, or an exploration of the strange ship, or if she just needed to get up and walk around. Whatever the case, she just didn't want to get caught.<p>

A hazy blue light glowed at the end of the hall, and she crept toward it, then found herself in the console room. That is what it's called, isn't it? she wondered, then shook the thought away like a piece of dust and continued into the room. The grated floor was cold against her bare feet, and rattled with each footstep. She glanced back more frequently now.

Now that she was in the console room, she realized that yes, it was an escape attempt. Not a very well-formed one, considering she had no idea where she would end up, nor did she have any money, or even a change of clothes. Still, her curiosity pushed her to open those doors and step outside.

So she did just that.

She crept up to them, placed a hand on one, and gently started to pull it open, cringing when it squeaked incongruously. She could see what looked like the night sky through the minute slit, and she pulled it further open, revealing a vast expanse of not land and sky at all, but space.

A cold wind whipped against her as she stared out into the star-speckled abyss, her hair flying back and her soft pajamas sticking to her skin as it pressed against her. It was terrifying, but at the same time it was exhilarating, and there was something that felt almost natural about it. She almost wanted to step out and let it swallow her up, but self-preservation got the better of her, and she pulled herself back inside and snapped the door shut.

She felt ice melting within the veins of her cheeks, heat slowly returning to her skin, and she pressed her lips together as her trembling subsided. Sighing, she turned around, and found none other than the Doctor standing in front of her, his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised.

"God, you scared me," she said, feigning innocence, but she could tell by the look on his face that she had been caught, and it made her cheeks burn up. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing really, just out for a little midnight stroll in the TARDIS, not that it's midnight, per say, since we're in space and all, but you know what I mean," he said, clasping his hands behind his back and walking to the console. "I think that the real question is, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged nonsensically as she grasped for an answer. "Nothing. Just the same as you."

The Doctor nodded and was quiet for a little while, shuffling his feet with his lips pressed together. "Did you know that because of our shared Gallifreyan genetics, that you and I have a sort of telepathic bond? Not something extravagant or anything like that, just a simple bond between our minds. And one of the things that this bond allows me to do is read your emotions. When you were a baby, I could feel what you were thinking. I could feel when you were scared, and alone, and crying for your mother. More than anything else you wanted to be in her arms. I don't think she realizes that. Anyway, the point is, I know that you're lying."

Her cheeks became even ruddier, and though she wasn't sure, she could've sworn she felt in intruding feeling in her mind, a shimmering sense of pride. "Well, yes, maybe I was trying to escape. But maybe that's because I have no idea who you people are. How am I supposed to know if you're really my parents? You could be murderers. You might try to sell me on some sort of slave market. There are tons of thi-"

"But we're not, are we?" he said gently. "You said that when you walked into the TARDIS, you felt like someone was cuddling your mind. I told you that was the TARDIS, but I also left out that it wasn't just the TARDIS, it was Rose and I. We share that bond. Rose, of course, can't really control it like you or I can, but she feels it nonetheless. She's scared for you. She's terrified more than anything else that she's not a good mother. Can you imagine what it must feel like to have your newborn daughter taken from you against your will only an hour after she's born?"

Sophie jutted her chin defiantly, and licked her lips, but said nothing.

"I can't completely prove to you that we're your parents," he said, stepping toward her. "But I can promise you that we do love you. Very much."

Sophie found herself at a loss for words, and for once, it was an uncomfortable feeling. Usually she enjoyed silence. It gave her time to think, time to ponder over whatever had caught her attention. This time she just felt extremely small and awkward, like a child who'd just been proved wrong. Then she realized that that was exactly what she was. Despite her taciturn nature, she was nothing short of arrogant.

She slowly stepped toward him, and for a moment he looked a bit shocked, then she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head into his chest. She felt the double beats of his hearts, and sighed.

At first, the Doctor was awkward and mechanical, unsure what to do, but then he slowly reciprocated the hug.

For the first time since she had stepped onto the TARDIS, Sophie truly took into consideration the fact that this man could be her father. And she was happy about it.

* * *

><p><em>Rose stared down at her daughter in her arms, all pink and soft, her features squished together with frustration and her tiny hands clenched. She rocked her gently, and Sophie yawned, smacking her rosebud lips together and blinking. She couldn't help but smile as Sophie stared at her wide eyes, looking shocked at this strange woman who was holding her. She squirmed against her breast, her mouth agape and a whine escaping from her throat.<em>

_Realizing she was hungry, Rose pulled down her shirt and Sophie immediately latched on, suckling voraciously. She looked up, and saw the Doctor approaching her. They shared a smile, and he reached over to stroke the wispy down of Sophie's hair, which already had the same roguish, untameable quality as his._

_Suddenly, everything became dark and cold, a kind of cold that clawed at her skin until it was raw and red, and the Doctor was gone. Then she saw Madame Kovarian, strolling to her with her lips twisted in that awful smirk of hers._

_"Give her to me," the woman hissed, her arms outstretched in preparation to receive Sophie._

_Sophie began to cry loudly, her sobs high-pitched and razor sharp, chilling Rose to the core. She tried to run, cradling her daughter to her, but her legs couldn't seem to move fast enough. Her heart pounded violently within her chest, sporadically pounding against her ribs in uncontrolled fits. She tripped, and suddenly she was on the ground and Madame Kovarian was standing over her._

_She was reaching for Sophie-_

Rose's eyes flew open. At first, all she saw was darkness, then the lines of the shapes around her began to fill out, and she realized that she was in the Doctor's room. Limbs slick with sweat, she reached for the Doctor with a trembling hand, only to find that he wasn't there. Her heart, already trembling from the nightmare, now felt like it was choking on its own beats.

"D-Doctor?" she called out in a small voice. "Are you there? Doctor?"

The murky darkness gave no reply.

Somehow the lack of an answer galvanized her into action. She tossed the blanket off of herself and climbed out of the bed, pushing her feet along the floor so as to avoid stepping on one of the Doctor's many contraptions. She felt around until she found a door and pushed it open, revealing yet another dark room. She pressed her hand to the wall, and flipped a switch.

She was in a bathroom. It was much grander than she had expected.

Polished tiles, swirled marble counters, a bathtub that probably functioned better as a jacuzzi, fluffy pink robes and towels... Then it hit her that this wasn't the Doctor's bathroom at all, but rather one that the TARDIS had fixed up for her.

She smiled. "Thanks, old girl. But I don't need all this stuff."

The TARDIS replied with an affectionate but slightly stern hum within her head.

Rose splashed some cold water on her face, the dried off with one of the fuzzy pink towels. Looking at herself in the mirror, she realized how sickly she looked. She was skinnier than before, her eyes were dull, her hair was flat. She didn't like herself. No wonder Sophie doesn't like me, she thought. Look at me, I'm pathetic. She felt a scolding sensation inside her head, and realized that it was the TARDIS, being motherly and caring as usual.

Rose decided she was going to find the Doctor. She felt a need to be near him, like he would keep her safe. His presence acted like a balm, soothing her worries. And she wanted to find Sophie, too. She wanted to see her daughter.


	27. Chapter 26

**AN: **This chapter's a short one. I've been really busy with another project, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. All I can tell you is this, there's going to be a ton of more angst until it gets better, but there will be a happy ending. Tell me what you think of this chapter. I love your reviews.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

* * *

><p>"And this is the sonic screwdriver-"<p>

"Why would you build a sonic screwdriver?"

"Why not?"

Rose shuffled through hall, hearing the voices grow louder with each step. Sounds like they've bonded, thought, and despite the good news, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly sad as she remembered her own botched attempt to bond with her daughter. It was as if no matter what she did, how hard she tried, she would always be failure as a mother.

"What does it do?" came Sophie's voice.

"Oh, it can do loads of things, just watch-oh, hello Rose!" the Doctor said, waving happily to her, grinning broadly. "I was just explaining to Sophie about the sonic screwdriver."

"Neat," she said, forcing an excited smile.

Sophie opened her mouth in preparation to say something, but then she paused, glancing first the Doctor, then at her. "Did you really absorb the Time Vortex and disintegrate an entire army? Cause he says you did, but I thought maybe he was lying..." her voice trailed off.

"Yeah, it's a long story," she said with a quick shake of her head. "Some other time."

"Well, he was just talking about going to Belgium for some waffles, maybe you could tell me there?"

"Um, sure-"

"Great!" the Doctor interjected. "Why don't you two get dressed and we'll be on our ways?"

* * *

><p>Rose chewed slowly on a mush of waffle, chocolate syrup, and strawberry sauce, forcing the sickly-sweet mixture down her throat. She hadn't been particularly hungry when she'd gotten up, and she wasn't hungry now. Her jaw felt suddenly heavy, and her throat tight, making eating anything a chore instead of a pleasure. Even her stomach was rejecting each bite, curdling every time she swallowed.<p>

Finally, she set her fork down and sat back, unable to eat any longer.

"You sure you're feeling alright, you've barely touched your waffles?" said the Doctor, nodding towards her plate.

"I'm just not that hungry," she replied, shrugging.

Both the Doctor and Sophie eyed her, and they were like duplicates of each other, it was almost frightening. They had bonded so quickly, while she was still boring old mum. She didn't have two hearts, she couldn't tell her about the fifth moon of Ramthar or the Jungian Revolution. Why should she like me anyway? she told herself, staring down at her lap. She starting to feel less and less like Sophie's mother, and more like just the womb that carried her. Maybe she had a purpose at some point, but now she was useless.

* * *

><p>By the end of the day, Rose was beyond exhausted, and unbearably depressed. Everything, even the little things, was an effort, and to make it worse, the Doctor and Sophie were indefatigable, darting from one planet to the next, with the Doctor showing her how to pilot the TARDIS in the free time. Rose suddenly began to understand how Mickey had felt back when he was traveling with them.<p>

She used to be the center of the Doctor's attention. He was always bursting with things to tell her, places to go, sights to see. Now she had been replaced by someone younger, someone who would live longer and understood him better, in a way her stupid little human brain never could. She began to wonder if she had ever been important to the Doctor in the first place, or if she had just been a little toy to pass the time with till the next companion came along.

Then it hit her. She was jealous of her own child. The weight of the realization made her crumple to the floor, barely able to hold back tears. She was a horrible mother. First she couldn't find it in her heart to love her daughter, now she was jealous of her. Perhaps Madame Kovarian had been right to take her away in the first place. Maybe she'd provided a better life for Sophie than Rose ever could.

She felt sick. Her stomach was hot and roiling, sloshing around within her body. Pressing her hand to her mouth, she began to sob gently, wishing she could just curl up in a hole and never come out again. Before they had found her, she thought that finding their daughter would fix everything. Instead it had just made things worse.


	28. Chapter 27

**AN: **Back! Sorry for the long wait. This one's pretty short, but I want my updates to be consistent, so here you go. Leave a review telling me what you think, they mean a lot!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing

* * *

><p>"And then she opened her mouth and fire came out!" exclaimed the Doctor through fits of laughter. "You should have seen the look of her. Oh, yes, the adventures your mother and I went on. You'll have to ask her about them, she'd tell them better, even I obviously remember more of the details thanks to my Time Lord brain, not that I'm saying she's not smart, your mother is one of the most clever-"<p>

"Dad," said Sophie, her cheeks flushed from laughter. "You're rambling again."

"Right," he said meekly, straightening his posture. "Sorry."

Sophie stared down at the ground, surrounded by piles of books that covered everything from alien cryptozoology to the study of telekinesis. She bit her lip, and the Doctor could see that she had something on her mind, but what it was, he had no idea.

"D-dad," said Sophie, looking up at him. "Does my mum... Does she not like me?"

"What would ever make you think such a thing?"

"Well, when she first met me, she started crying," she replied, picking at an imaginary grain of dirt beneath her fingernail. "And she doesn't really talk to me. She's just sort of quiet, like she wishes she was somewhere else. I don't know, I feel like she doesn't want me here."

The Doctor was quiet for a long time, unsure how to respond. "Your mother has been through a lot-"

"Yeah, I know that she has, you told me already," she snapped, her facial features tense. "I'm sorry, I just... I want to get to know her, but everytime I try she sort of avoids it."

"Right, well, think of it this way," he said, gazing up at the ceiling, which depicted a renaissance painting of cherubs and other various angels singing and dancing among the clouds. "When you first met us, did you immediately love us?"

She pressed her lips together. "No. I didn't even believe you."

"Imagine what it must like to be her," he said. "She was crying because she was scared that she didn't love you enough. Not only that, she's worried that she's not good enough for you. She thinks that because she's human, you won't find her interesting."

"I-I'm sorry, I guess it didn't really register," she said, slouching as the momentum of his words hit her. "I've been excluding her this entire time, haven't I? What does she like to do?"

"Well," he said, drawing out the word the same way a child might experimentally draw a piece of gum out of it's mouth. "She loves chips. We got them on our first date, in fact. She also likes shopping."

"We could go to a marketplace!" she said, her face lighting up. "Preferably somewhere where they sell clothes. We could do, you know, mother-daughter things."

He smiled. "Sounds like a brilliant idea."

* * *

><p>Rose wandered aimlessly through the throng of people, both alien and human, her senses awash with various smells, tastes, sights, and sounds. People jostled their way violently through the crowds, jerking her every which way, leaving her at a loss as to where she was. Luckily, Sophie grabbed her elbow and pulled her to the side, over to a tent selling diaphanous fabrics embroidered with gold lace.<p>

"Check this out," she said, lifting up one of them to show her, a beautiful dress that was a vibrant shade of pink and accented by gold on the sides. "You'd look gorgeous in this."

She couldn't help but smile. "Really, you think so?"

Sophie pressed the dress against her arm. "Yeah. It brings out your skin."

Suddenly, her eyes went wide. "Oh my god," she said in a thin voice, her lips trembling.

"What?" asked Rose, turning around.

Then she saw it. Standing in the crowd, among the muddle of people, was Madame Kovarian.


	29. Chapter 28

**AN:** We're getting close to the end! This is another short chapter, but a lot happens in it. Leave me a review and tell me what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything

* * *

><p>The Doctor wandered aimlessly through the stream of people, occasionally glancing around for Rose or Sophie. His daughter had abandoned him almost at the minute they stepped into the market, and her mother had wandered off not much later. It was alright, though. He knew that they were there somewhere, bonding, doing mother-daughter things, shopping for clothes and such. He would let them be.<p>

"Sir, excuse me sir, you, in the brown suit!" a man's voice, thick with an exotic accent that he couldn't place, beckoned him toward a stall to his right.

The man had green scales, which were lustrous and smooth-looking, catching the shine of the sun, and he had horns protruding out of his skull. Before him was a table full of jewelry, chains of gold with iridescent jewels that glowed in the light of the sun, nearly blinding in their intensity.

"You look like a man who knows his jewels," said the lizard man, his oily lips spread in a smile to reveal large, sharp teeth. "Tell me, is there a lucky lady in your life?"

He cocked his head. "Well, there is somebody," he said, running a long finger over a large, glittering gem that was a vibrant hue of red.

"Is she very beautiful? Maybe a rose quartz, perhaps?"

"Very," he said, smiling slightly as he thought of Rose. "She's all pink and yellow and smiling. She has the most wonderful laugh, too."

The man raised one finger. "I have just the thing for you," he said, turning around to pull out a small box.

He opened it, producing a simple gold chain with a small, ebony stone in the middle of it.

At first, it looked like just a normal necklace, but when he looked closer, he discovered that he could see a miniature galaxy inside it.  
>"Oh, well that's brilliant," he grinned. "How much for it?"<p>

* * *

><p>Rose darted through the streets, pulling on Sophie's elbow as they dodged from person to person, accidentally slamming into random shoppers traversing the market. Her heart was beating so fast it felt swollen, like it was about to explode, and her lungs felt bruised and bloody, and her calves felt like liquid. Suddenly, they turned into an alley, and ran even faster, until they turned once more and reached a dead end.<p>

They gasped for breath, their hands on their knees and tears simmering in their eyes from the dust that had been kicked up as they ran. Without a second thought, Rose pulled Sophie into her arms and hugged her as tight as she could.

"I thought she was going to take you away from me again," she whispered, stroking her dark hair.

Sophie said nothing, just nodded and buried herself further into her arms. Rose closed her eyes, feeling her heartbeat fade back to a steady rhythm, all the tension in her body bleeding away and leaving behind a cool sense of relaxation.

"How touching," came a voice that sent a frisson of fear down Rose's spine.  
>She looked up, and saw Madame Kovarian standing before them, her thin lips set in a pleased smirk.<p>

Immediately, Rose stepped in front of her daughter, shielding her from the malicious woman.

"This is all quite lovely, but if you could hand her over now, I have a schedule to keep," she said with the cool formality of that of a businesswoman, as if this was nothing more than a business transaction.

"I won't let you take her," she cried out, failing to keep her voice from trembling.

"Oh, but I'm afraid you will," replied the woman, pulling a gun out of its holster and aiming it at her.

Rose felt a cold shudder go through her at the sight of the gun, but still, she stood in front of Sophie, mentally preparing herself for everything to go black. If this was when she died, so be it. She would rather die protecting her daughter than live knowing that she had given her away.

"So be it," said Kovarian, and fired the gun.

Everything else happened in a blur. One moment, she was standing, the next she was shoved to the ground, and Sophie was collapsing in front of her. She couldn't recall anything after that.


	30. Chapter 29

**AN:** Another short one, but once again, a lot happens. I promise, the next chapter will actually be kind of happy. Tell me what you think of this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing

* * *

><p>Rose awoke to headache that encompassed her entire skull, mind-numbing and unforgiving, continually pounding against her brain. She felt incredibly weak, even the slightest movement demanding an enormous amount of energy. Her eyes fluttered open, and the ache in her head worsened, but still she kept them open, despite the fact that the world around her was a shocking shade of white. After a few seconds, her vision cleared, and she realized that she was lying in bed, and that the Doctor was sitting in a chair nearby, his eyes dark as he stared at the floor.<p>

"Doctor?" she mumbled, sitting up. "What happened?"

"Shhh," he said gently, getting up and pressing her back down. "It's alright. You need to lay down, you've been through a lot."

His voice was thick, like he had been crying, possibly even was still crying, and he had wet trails glistening on his cheeks. He stroked her hair, and released a shuddering sigh.

"What's wrong?" she said in a small voice. "What happened? Where's Sophie?"

The Doctor pressed his forehead against hers, and a sob traveled through his throat.

Rose felt tears prickle within her eyes, and suddenly she was pushing herself back up again. "Doctor, what happened? Tell me!"

"She died," he said. "Madame Kovarian killed her."

At first, it didn't register. It floated in the air like motes of dust, lazy and wistful, then suddenly she was gripped with the gravity of the statement, and it weighed down every organ in her body. Her daughter was dead. First she was kidnapped, now she was dead.

"No," she whimpered, choking on a sob. "No, she can't be. She can regenerate. Doctor, she can't be!"

"She didn't have enough energy left in her body-"

"No!" she screamed, pushing him away, but he just held onto her tighter, trying to soothe her. "No, she's not! She can't be, no!"

She pounded her fists against his chest, screaming and sobbing at the top of her lungs, unable to cope with the force of his words. Finally, her muscles turned to liquid and her lungs were dry and chafed from screaming, and she resorted to pressing her face into his chest and sobbing, and he cradled her, crying quietly into her hair.

* * *

><p>The Doctor fiddled lackadaisically with the TARDIS controls, barely aware of his own movements. He had nowhere to go, nothing to see. His daughter was dead. First she was taken from him, and now she was dead. The enormity of the situation was not a roaring conflagration of anger within his bones, but rather an icy venom that seeped slowly through his blood, making gears turn and dials click, setting within him a sort of peaceful hatred, a promise in the back of his mind that the Kovarian woman would pay. He'd lost his family once, and now again. This would not go unpunished.<p>

"Doctor?" Rose's voice made him turn around.

There she stood, pale and shaking, buried in a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, her hair a mess of blonde strands framing her tear-soaked face.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I-I wanna see my mum," she could barely get her words out without stuttering from her sobs.

He felt his hearts withering in pain at the sight of her. She looked so delicate, so helpless in her misery, and he wanted so badly to make her happy, he would do anything to see that beautiful smile light up her pink and yellow face again.

"Of course," he said gently, charting the course to the Powell Estate. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, her voice cracking. "No."

"I'm sorry," he enveloped her into a hug, savoring the sweet warmth of her. "I'm so sorry."

"'s not your fault," she mumbled, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. "You couldn't stop her."

The Doctor inhaled deeply, feeling a dark burning in his chest that told him otherwise.


	31. Author's Note

Hey, this is Gabi again, with another author's note. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning the story. I've decided that sometime after I finish it, I'm going to go back and rewrite some of the chapters, just so that they're more fleshed out and generally better-written. I'll probably add some chapters here and there, so if you want to read them, then you can add me to your author's or story update. I also plan to write a few one-shots that take place after this story, chronicling the lives of the Doctor and Rose after all that happens. I also have another fic I'm working on, which is sort of similar in the idea that it's about Rose going through a traumatic situation and how she heals afterwards. The prologue is up right now, so if you want, you can go read it. Finally, I'd just like to say thank you for your continual love and support. It means a lot to me, it really does, and I hope that you all enjoy the last few chapters and the stories that will come afterwards.


	32. Chapter 30

**AN**: Next chapter. I promised this one would be a bit happier, and it is. Hope you enjoy :)

**Warnings: **There's a minor mention of rape, and it's really not rape at all, but still, fair warning

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

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><p>The Doctor watched grimly as Rose sobbed into her mother's arms, whimpering as she tried to tell her of Sophie's fate. He felt a squeezing pain in his hearts as he watched. He wanted so badly to help her, to make her pain go away. And he could, he could completely wipe her mind of the entire incident, let her start over, free from the pain of losing a daughter that she'd never really had in the first place. But no, that would be wrong. It would be like rape, going into her mind without her permission, changing her memories. But he just wanted to see her happy.<p>

He thought of Sophie, standing at his side, asking him where they would visit next, chattering off on some tangent about how the Atlanteans were really aliens or the secret language of dogs, trying to make him proud with her own wide array of knowledge. He smiled faintly, then felt tears gather in his eyes. She was just like Susan. There was a sharp pain in his throat as he thought of his granddaughter, destroyed in the Time War, like the rest of his people. And it was all his fault.

"Doctor?" Rose's waterlogged voice broke him out of his reverie.

He looked up, and found her standing in front of him, slouched and her arms wrapped around her waist. "Is it alright if I stay a little while? I-I think I need a break from all the travellin'. Not a permanent one, just some time to... You know, feel a bit better."

"Of course," he said, pulling her into a hug. "I think I need a little break myself. Is it alright if I keep the TARDIS parked in here for a little while?"

"Sure, that's fine," she said with a shrug. "I-I think I'm gonna go to my room for a little while."

He nodded, and she extricated herself from his grasp, padding off to her room. The Doctor sighed, feeling like needles were stuck in his lungs, and shuffled his feet awkwardly as Jackie approached him.

"You're not going to slap me, are you?" he inquired with an eyebrow raised, his voice lacking it's usually childish bounce.

"No, come here, you," said Jackie, embracing him. "You need a hug after that. I'm sorry."

Rather than recoiling as he usually would, he stayed stiff, allowing Jackie to hug him as long as she liked.

The next couple of days went by in a dull blur. The Doctor spent most of his time in the TARDIS, tinkering away half-heartedly, while Rose occupied her time by sleeping, rising only every once in awhile to eat or use the bathroom, and even then it was still rare.

He was scared for Rose. He was scared that she was slipping back into depression, that she would never come out, that she would do something rash and he would lose his companion. No, more than a companion. A lover. She was his lover. He wanted so badly to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be alright, even when he himself was on the verge of breaking down over his daughter's death.

Rose poured herself a steaming cup of tea, still foggy and listless from sleep. It was still dark outside, her mum was still asleep, and she knew the Doctor was probably in the TARDIS. She blinked, clearing the last few remnants of sleep from her eyes, and set down the kettle. Feeling a rumble in her stomach, she turned to the refrigerator and pulled out an apple, then grabbed a sharp knife from the drawer. She pressed the knife down on the apple, accidentally nicking her finger in the process.

"Ow," she hissed, pressing her thumb to her mouth to suck away the blood.

She pulled her thumb away, then noticed something odd. It appeared to be glowing in some sort of golden light, dim at first, but the more she looked at it, the brighter it became, until it was nearly blinding. Then it went out.

She stared down at her thumb, and realized that the cut was gone. Her lips parted, and she felt her heart halt within her chest, unsure what to make of the situation. Her first thought was that she was dreaming, some sort of sick fever dream, but she quickly dashed that one away. Could she be hallucinating? Did she completely imagine it. She did not know. But she knew someone who would.

"Doctor!" Rose's voice made the Doctor look up from his book on the colonization of the planet Kurab.

"Yes?" he asked in a small voice, turning around and finding her standing before him, her face unusually pale.

"Something happened."

That could mean anything. Even the tone of her voice was neutral, betraying no distinction of good or bad, but rather having a breathless, dumbfounded quality. He felt his hearts speed up painfully.

"What?" he asked.

"I was cutting an apple, and I nicked my thumb," she started, her voice hoarse from shock. "And all of a sudden there was this golden light coming from it, and then when it was gone, my thumb was better."

The Doctor stared at her for a long time, starting to think her grief had driven her mad. But instead, he grabbed her hand and licked her thumb, tasting something that he should not be tasting on a regular human girl.

"Come with me," he said, tugging her into the halls.

They entered the med bay, where he sat her on the bed and pulled out a tiny needle, extending her arm before she could protest and poking her in the thumb. A tiny drop of blood seeped out, and he quickly dabbed at it with a small napkin, then slipped it under a machine that looked somewhat like a microscope.

When the machine was done analyzing Rose's blood sample, he peeked inside, and felt his stomach drop.

No, it couldn't be. There was no way, but... He swallowed thickly. The room felt like it was spinning beneath his feet. He turned to look at Rose, and suddenly everything made sense. The DNA, the experimentation, everything.

"Rose," he said in a very low voice. "You're immortal."


	33. Chapter 31

**AN:** I can't believe we're so close to the end! It really, honestly feels so wonderful, to finish this fic. I started this fic in 2011, and I abandoned it, but to start it again, and to _finish _it, I just can't believe it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing

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><p>"What?" squeaked Rose.<p>

The Doctor spoke, but his voice was blurred and liquefied, like he was far away. She felt like she was swimming through fog, incapable of seeing further than her own hands. In some distant, murky part of the back of her mind, she realized that she was crying, and the next thing she knew she was on her knees, the Doctor hovering over her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Rose," he said gently, pulling her out of her reverie. "Rose."

She looked up, blinking her tears away and sniffling gently. "How can I be immortal?"

"It's a whole slew of reasons, really," he said, looking away. "First, there was the Bad Wolf, that made changes to your DNA but it wasn't enough to make you immortal. Then when you became pregnant, your body was forced to make more changes to accommodate the strain of a cross-species pregnancy. And finally, when you were at Demon's Run they must have... I don't know, experimented on you. They probably wanted to use you against me too."  
>Rose stared up at him for a long time, her heart trembling within her chest. She couldn't register what he said, she was too busy thinking of Sophie, poor Sophie who'd barely gotten a chance to live a life besides one of imprisonment, who only knew her parents for a couple of days before she was murdered in cold blood.<p>

"It should have been me," she gasped. "I should've died, I don't deserve to live."

"No, Rose, don't say that," he said, cupping her cheek. "For whatever reason, you lived, and we don't know why, but there is a reason, I know there is."

"But it's not fair!" she sobbed, beating her closed fists against her legs. "Why should I live, after all that she went through. She was just a kid. She didn't even get a chance."

"Don't say that," the Doctor's voice trembled as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "You are here for a reason. I know that it hurts, I know, but you have to realize, now you can live your life alongside me. You won't age, you'll stay the same."

"But I don't wanna live forever," she whimpered. "I want Sophie. Doctor, how can I live on, knowing that my daughter, that little girl, died because of me?"

The Doctor sighed, pressing his lips together. Inhaling sharply, Rose realized that he had nothing to say in return. She curled into him, closing her eyes and savoring the slight coolness of his body, the way he enveloped her and made her feel safe from the rest of the world. But the only thing he couldn't keep her safe from was herself.

"Wait," the Doctor said suddenly, pulling away from her slowly. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? Oh, stupid me, stupid, thick old me, it took me this long to figure it all out."

"What is it?" Rose asked in a small voice, starting to feel as if she was in a dream.

"I've figured it out," he said, breathless with exhilaration. "We're going to get her back, Rose. We're going to save our daughter."


	34. Chapter 32

**AN:** And we've come to the second-to-last chapter! It's been wonderful to finish this story, and I hope that you all have enjoyed it as much as I have. Thank you so much for sticking through it all, even when you thought I had abandoned it, and thank you for leaving your wonderful reviews, they mean so much to me, they really do. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

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><p>By the time Rose reached the console room, trailing clumsily after the Doctor, the world seemed to be closing in around her, squeezing all the breath out of her lungs and making her trip over her own feet. The Doctor grabbed her by her shoulders and steadied her.<p>

"Doctor, w-what are you talking about?" she asked, laughing out of shock as she wiped cold tears away from her eyes. "I thought she couldn't be saved."

"That's what I thought too, but then I realized, what if that wasn't Sophie at all?"

"I don't understand what you're saying..."

"When I rescued you from Demon's Run, they switched her with a duplicate," he said, whipping through his words breathlessly. "But what if they did it again? And what if, that was the plan all along? What if they wanted us to find a fourteen-year-old version of her, as a-a distraction?"

"But why would they do that?" she said.

"Because they knew we'd keep looking for her," he continued, practically frolicking around the console as he flipped switches and turned dials. "So they needed something to guarantee that we wouldn't keep on chasing them. So they created another duplicate and they let her escape somewhere they knew we would find her."

"So the real Sophie's still out there?"

"Yes, and not only that," he grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her on the head. "We can rescue the infant version of her."

Rose looked away, unsure how to react. For a moment, she thought he had well and truly gone insane, but once the words began to settle, she felt her breath lodge in her throat, like a sharp stone. The memory of holding her daughter in her arms after hours of agony, the softness of her tiny body in her arms, the horror of Madame Kovarian tearing her from her grasp. Suddenly it felt as if it was all a dream.

"But... Doctor," she broke off into a sleepy tangent, feeling her heart sink. "That other Sophie, she was just alive as ours. She had memories, she had a life."

He sighed, pressing his lips together and sliding his hands into his pockets. "I know. For all intents and purposes, she was our daughter. But not anymore, she's gone now. But our original Sophie is out there somewhere, waiting. She needs us."

Rose nodded, blinking away tears, then she smiled. "We're really gonna find her, aren't we?"

"Oh yes," he said, and cupped her face and kissed her gently.

She melted into it, savoring the feeling of his lips on hers, gasping when he pulled away.

"Rose Tyler," he said with a grin, flipping a switch on the console. "Allonsy."


End file.
